VOLUME  I 


1 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY 


SAND/EGO 


OLD   EDINBURGH 
Volume  I. 


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(INCORPORATED) 

New  England   Building,   Boston,    Mast. 


MARIA  SCOTORVM 


OLD    EDINBURGH 


BEING   AN   ACCOUNT   OF  THE   ANCIENT 
CAPITAL   OF   THE   KINGDOM   OF   SCOTLAND 

INCLUDING   ITS   STREETS,    HOUSES, 

NOTABLE   INHABITANTS,   AND   CUSTOMS 

IN   THE   OLDEN   TIME 


By 

Frederick   W.  Watkeys 

IN   TWO   VOLUMES 
VOL.   I. 


With  Many  Illustrations  from  Rare  Old  Prints 
and  Photographs 


Boston 
L.    C.    Page    &    Company 


MDCCCCVIII 


Copyright,  1908 
BY  L.  C.  PAGE  &  COMPANY 

(  INCORPORATED  ) 

All  rights  reserved 


First  Impression,  October,  1908 


Electrotyped  and  Printed  at 
THE  COLONIAL  PRESS: 
C. H.Simonds  C&.  Co. .Boston,  U.S.A. 


Preface 

This  book  is  the  outcome  of  a  recent 
pleasant  sojourn  in  Edinburgh.  It  is  hoped 
the  matter  herein  contained  may  be  of  inter- 
est to  those  already  familiar  with  "  Auld 
Reekie,"  and  to  those  who  are  not,  it  may 
stimulate  a  desire  to  view  one  of  the  world's 
most  famous  cities,  celebrated  both  for  her 
beauty  and  for  her  romantic  history. 

It  is  not  to  be  assumed  that  this  account  of 
Edinburgh  covers  her  whole  history.  This 
ground  has  been  gone  over  by  many  abler 
hands,  and  it  would  be  presumption  on  the 
part  of  the  writer  to  claim  the  presentation 
of  any  new  and  startling  facts.  Rather  has 
it  been  his  intention  to  bring  before  the 
reader  the  principal  and  interesting  events  in 
the  history  of  the  Old  Town  which  have  made 
her  famous.  With  these  has  been  given  some 
account  of  the  manners  and  customs  of  her 
old-time  citizens,  together  with  certain  details 


VI 


Preface 


relating  to  the  ancient  life  of  the  city,  which 
are  not  obtainable  without  considerable 
research  among  antiquarian  lore.  Some  of 
the  subjects  herein  mentioned  are  but 
briefly  touched  upon  in  the  general  histories 
of  Edinburgh,  and  might  possibly  be  con- 
sidered of  minor  importance.  They  appear 
to  me,  however,  to  be  interestingly  illus- 
trative of  the  life  of  the  period,  and  for  that 
reason  are  brought  to  the  reader's  attention. 

Many  authorities,  historical  and  anti- 
quarian, have  been  consulted,  but  to  enu- 
merate them  would  be  tedious.  The  works 
of  Wilson  and  of  Chambers  have  furnished 
valuable  information,  which  with  that  from 
many  other  sources  is  gratefully  acknowl- 
edged. 

JAMAICA  PLAIN,  MASS.,  August  /,  1908. 


Contents 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

PREFACE v 

I.    OLD  EDINBURGH i 

II.    IN  EARLY  TIMES 23 

III.  IN  THE  TIME  OF  THE  STUARTS        .       .      48 

IV.  IN  THE  TIME  OF  THE  STUARTS  (Continued)      80 
V.    UNDER  MARY  OF  GUISE     .       .       .       .107 

VI.    QUEEN  MARY'S  EDINBURGH      .       .       .122 
VII.    IN  THE  TIME  OF  JAMES  VI.     .       .       .172 
VIII.    IN  THE  TIME  OF  THE  COVENANTERS       .     191 
IX.    THE    UNION   WITH   ENGLAND  AND  THE 

REBELLION  OF  1745     .       .       .       .211 

X.    THE  CASTLE 233 

XL    THE  CASTLE  HILL  AND  LAWN  MARKET    256 
XII.    ST.  GILES,  AND  PARLIAMENT  SQUARE    .    290 

XIII.  THE  HIGH  STREET 318 

XIV.  THE  CANONGATE 350 

INDEX 379 


List  of  Illustrations 

VOLUME  I 

MM 

MARY,  QUEEN  OF  SCOTS  ....  Frontispiece 

PRINCES  STREET,  LOOKING  WEST  ....  8 

THE  OLD  TOWN  OF  EDINBURGH  (diagram)  .  9 

THE  WEST  Bow 14 

BLACKFRIARS  WYND  IN  1837 16 

THE  CASTLE 24 

ROBERT  II,  KING  OF  SCOTLAND  ....  48 

JAMES  I,  KING  OF  SCOTLAND 52 

JAMES  II,  KING  OF  SCOTLAND  ....  64 

JAMES  III,  KING  OF  SCOTLAND  ....  68 

MARGARET  OF  DENMARK,  QUEEN  OF  JAMES  III  .  70 

JAMES  IV,  KING  OF  SCOTLAND  ....  78 
MARGARET  TUDOR,  QUEEN  OF  JAMES  IV  .  .80 

JAMES  V,  KING  OF  SCOTLAND 98 

MARY  OF  GUISE,  QUEEN  OF  JAMES  V  .  .  107 

JOHN  KNOX  . 141 

HENRY  STUART,  LORD  DARNLEY,  KING -CONSORT 

OF  SCOTLAND 143 

HENRY,  LORD  DARNLEY,  AND  MARY,  QUEEN  OF 

SCOTS 146 

THE  DEATH  OF  RIZZIO  ..,,,,  149 
iz 


x  List  of  Illustrations 


JAMES  HEPBURN,  EARL  OF  BOTHWELL  .  .  .  154 
JAMES  STUART,  EARL  OF  MORAY,  REGENT  OF 

SCOTLAND 172 

JAMES  DOUGLAS,  EARL  OF  MORTON,  REGENT  OF 

SCOTLAND 174 

JAMES  VI  OF  SCOTLAND  AND  I  OF  ENGLAND  .  176 
ANNE  OF  DENMARK,  QUEEN  OF  JAMES  VI  OF 

SCOTLAND  AND  I  OF  ENGLAND.  .  .  .178 

JAMES  GRAHAM,  MARQUIS  OF  MONTROSE  .  .  198 

JOHN  MAITLAND,  DUKE  OF  LAUDERDALE  .  .  206 
JOHN  GRAHAM  OF  CLAVERHOUSE,  VISCOUNT 

DUNDEE 210 

THE  "  YOUNG  CHEVALIER  " 224 

THE  CASTLE  FROM  THE  GRASSMARKET  .  .  .  233 

MONS  MEG 240 

"  LAVS  DEO  "  HOUSE,  CASTLE  HILL  .  .  .  265 

HEAD  OF  WEST  Bow,  LAWNMARKET,  IN  1830  .  269 

ST.  GILES 290 

INTERIOR  OF  ST.  GILES,  LOOKING  EAST  .  .  292 

PLAN  OF  ST.  GILES  (diagram)  ....  294 

MONTROSE  MONUMENT 302 

LORD  BRAXFIELD 309 

HON.  HENRY  ERSKINE 310 

THROUGH  A  HIGH  STREET  CLOSE  ....  326 

JOHN  KNOX'S  HOUSE 344 

THE  NETHER  -  BOW  PORT  FROM  THE  EAST  .  .  350 

MORAY  HOUSE 362 

THE  "  SPEAKING  HOUSE  "  .....  369 


Old  Edinburgh 

Volume  I 
CHAPTER  I 

OLD    EDINBURGH 

«  Where  the  huge  castle  holds  its  state, 
And  all  the  deep  slopes  down, 
Whose  ridgy  back  heaves  to  the  sky 
Piled  deep  and  massy,  close  and  high, 
Mine  own  romantic  town." 

THERE  are  few  cities  in  the  world  of 
greater  interest  to  the  visitor  than 
Edinburgh,  the  gray  city  of  the  north,  so 
richly  endowed  with  beauty  and  with  memo- 
ries. To  the  traveller  the  first  view  is  a  sur- 
prise, even  though  he  may,  from  attentive 
study  of  his  guide-book,  consider  himself 
prepared  to  be  duly  impressed  by  the 
wonders  which  are  to  meet  his  eyes. 

From  whatever  side  we  approach  the  city 
its  appearance  is  strikingly  picturesque;  so 
strange  a  combination  of  hills  and  valleys, 

i 


2  Old  Edinburgh 

of  rugged  peaks  and  lofty,  graceful  spires.  Let 
me  say  to  the  lover  of  the  romantic  and  beau- 
tiful who  has  never  viewed  the  "  bonny 
toun;  "  who  has  not  wended  his  way  up  the 
historic  High  Street  and  Lawnmarket  to  the 
Castle,  and  down  the  Canongate  to  Holyrood ; 
who  has  not  wandered  about  the  curious 
"  wynds  "  and  "  closes  "  or  in  and  out  of 
the  myriad  quaint  nooks  and  corners  of  the 
Old  Town ;  to  him  I  say,  go,  at  your  earliest 
opportunity,  for  a  treat  awaits  your  artistic 
and  antiquarian  soul.  The  place  grips  and 
holds  you;  there  is  a  fascination  about  it 
that  grows.  You  may  travel  about  the 
town  for  days,  from  foggy  morn  to  misty 
eve  —  to  change  slightly  the  original  quota- 
tion —  constantly  finding  strange  and  won- 
derful things.  The  Castle,  Holyrood,  St. 
Giles,  Greyfriars,  are  all  of  absorbing  interest, 
but  after  them  comes  much  of  almost  equal 
significance.  What  if  it  does  rain  once  in  a 
while;  no  one  seems  to  mind.  There  is  so 
much  to  see  of  the  curious  and  interesting 
that  the  rain  is  forgotten. 

Here  in  an  ancient  and  massive  wall  peeps 
forth  a  small  shop  window  which  displays, 


Old  Edinburgh  3 

most  temptingly,  the  seductive  scone  in 
variety,  appealing  to  all  tastes,  the  humble 
haggis,  weird  and  mysterious  of  aspect  (I 
never  had  the  courage  to  become  intimate 
with  a  haggis),  together  with  the  burly 
"  bloater,"  the  famed  "  kipper  "  and  other 
attractive  national  delicacies. 

In  the  same  building,  just  around  the 
corner,  a  step  down  the  close,  we  see  a  fine 
old  moulded  doorway  surmounted  by  the 
crest  of  some  rich  and  powerful  Scottish  noble 
of  Queen  Mary's  time.  This  was  the  splendid 
town  mansion  of  his  lordship.  Cut  in  the 
lintel  you  may  read  in  time-worn  characters, 

"  BLISSIT  .  BE  .  GOD  .  IN  .  AL  .  HIS  .  GIFTIS." 

Let  us  step  under  this  ancient  lintel  for  a 
hasty  glimpse,  and  a  hasty  glimpse  it  must 
be,  for  behold!  the  enemy  is  already  upon 
us.  Our  appearance  in  the  close  has  been 
the  signal  for  an  uprising  of  the  clan.  From 
each  crack  and  cranny  oozes  a  diminutive 
but  eagle-eyed  Scot  who  surveys  us  with 
eager  and  mercenary  interest.  Some  of  these 
are  revelling  in  the  delights  of  massive  slabs 
of  bread  dripping  with  treacle,  all  are  bare- 


4  Old  Edinburgh 

footed,  and  their  features  display  much 
intelligence  mingled  with  dirt  and  molasses. 

These  small  banditti  as  they  approach 
begin  to  pipe,  parrot-like,  the  annals  of  the 
historic  spot ;  let  us  while  the  clan  is  gather- 
ing ascend  the  turnpike  stair.  Here  on  the 
second  floor  the  tenant,  in  response  to  a 
trifling  contribution,  shows  us  some  rooms 
which  still  present  evidences  of  former 
grandeur  in  the  remains  of  the  old  oak 
panelling,  the  beautiful  carving,  and  the 
noble  fireplaces,  which  latter  are  still  in  use. 
Once  upon  a  time  a  great  lord  lived  here, 
but  the  old  house  in  its  declining  years 
harbours  tenants  of  a  humbler  station  in  life. 

Descending  the  winding  stair,  we  find  the 
brigand  band  lined  up  to  receive  us  and 
shrilly  clamouring  for  tribute.  We  toss  a 
few  coppers  down  the  close,  a  stampede  of 
the  excited  populace  follows,  and  under 
cover  of  this  diversion  we  make  a  rapid 
escape  to  the  street. 

A  little  further  on  we  may  find  a  tiny 
"  Fried  Fish  "  shop ;  or  a  shop  which  bears  in 
its  window  the  mystic  legend  "  Hot  Peas 
and  Vinegar  "  —  strange  combination  — 


Old  Edinburgh  5 

each  one  holding  forth  in  a  building  of 
picturesque  antiquity  which  has  an  interest- 
ing story  to  tell.  And  so  you  may  wander 
about  until  the  consciousness  is  forced  un- 
willingly upon  you  that  you  are  the  possessor 
of  feet.  Then  back  to  your  good  old-fash- 
ioned hostelry  with  a  full  appreciation  of  all 
the  comforts  that  await  you;  and  by  the 
way,  there  may  be  a  gooseberry  or  a  black 
currant  tart  on  the  bill  of  fare  this  evening. 
Know  you  aught  of  these,  gentle  traveller? 
With  what  restful  contentment  do  you  after 
a  proper  interval  bestow  yourself  in  the 
depths  of  a  grandfatherly  chair,  and  there 
with  pipe  and  book  plan  your  campaign  for 
the  morrow. 

I  would  not  have  the  reader  infer  from  any 
preceding  remark  that  he  need  be  semi- 
amphibious  to  enjoy  Edinburgh.  True,  as 
in  all  parts  of  Britain,  it  rains  on  the  slightest 
provocation,  especially  at  certain  seasons  of 
the  year,  but  the  showers  usually  are  of  short 
duration.  It  rains,  then  clears  up  and  gets 
ready  to  rain  again.  No  one  seems  to  be 
greatly  disturbed  over  it,  and  besides  it 
makes  variety. 


6  Old  Edinburgh 

Let  me  here  call  your  attention  to  a  pleasing 
compensation  for  the  eccentricities  of  Edin- 
burgh weather.  Nowhere  will  you  find  such 
blooming,  almost  transparent,  "  peaches  and 
cream  "  complexions  as  among  the  feminine 
portion  of  the  population.  This  is  said  to  be 
the  joint  result  of  climate  and  oatmeal. 

I  think  for  a  proper  appreciation  of  Old 
Edinburgh,  one  should  make  his  stay  in  a 
lodging  pleasantly  suggestive  of  bygone  days, 
and  some  such  are  still  to  be  found.  Well, 
and  most  agreeably,  do  I  recall  one  now.  Its 
cheery  breakfast-room,  with  the  solid  old 
furniture  and  quaint  prints;  a  fire  winking 
comfortably  in  the  grate,  and  our  table  "  fore- 
nent  "it  —  for  the  mornings  are  sometimes 
cool  in  Edinburgh  even  in  July  —  the  long 
serving  board  with  its  polished  array  of 
covers,  from  under  each  of  which,  when  lifted, 
issues  a  steam  most  savoury  and  appetizing. 
To  this  cosy  spot  we  luxuriously  descend  as 
the  old  clock  over  the  fireplace  chimes  nine, 
pleasantly  conscious,  as  gentlemen  of  leisure, 
that  time  was  made  for  slaves  alone.  With- 
out, the  morning  is  yet  gray  and  dull,  empha- 
sizing the  comfort  of  the  old  room. 


Old  Edinburgh  7 

The  waiter  brings  our  coffee  in  a  shining 
pot  of  ancient  shape,  and  opines,  as  he  pours, 
that  we  are  to  have  "  a  fine  day,  the  day." 
We  look  dubiously  at  the  window,  and  he 
says,  "  Ay,  but  wait  a  bit;  ye'll  soon  see  the 
sun."  Then  he  brings  us  "  guid  Scots  par- 
ritch "  and  cream;  sole,  fried  a  delicate 
brown;  bacon,  pink  and  white,  frizzled  most 
deliciously  and  flanked  by  eggs  of  the  latest 
edition;  together  with  toast  and  various 
specimens  of  the  genus  scone,  all  most  tooth- 
some. Perchance  we  include  also  a  steak  or 
chop,  for  sightseeing  is  hungry  work  and  it  is 
well  to  be  prepared  for  emergencies.  And 
fail  not  to  pay  your  respects  to  the  Dundee 
marmalade,  which  is  ever  on  the  board. 

While  we  are  leisurely  discussing  this  in- 
viting fare,  the  sun,  which  has  been  peeping 
furtively  through  the  mist  from  time  to 
time,  at  last  comes  frankly  forth,  and  lo!  at 
once  a  perfect  day  is  before  us.  Come,  let 
us  dally  no  longer,  but  hasten  forth  to  make 
the  most  of  it. 

Believe  not  the  tale  of  the  pessimistic 
tourist  who  asserts  that  the  sun  seldom 
shines  in  "  Auld  Reekie,"  for  there  are  many 


8  Old  Edinburgh 

golden,  glorious  days,  days  to  be  remembered 
long  afterward.  The  sunlight,  not  bold  and 
aggressive  as  in  a  clearer  air  but  tempered 
by  the  smoky  atmosphere,  softens  each  out- 
line, and  we  see  all  things  through  a  golden, 
purplish  haze.  Viewed  on  such  a  day, 
through  rose-coloured  spectacles  as  it  were, 
it  looks  truly  a  city  of  romance  and 
chivalry. 

Standing  on  Princes  Street,  that  beautiful 
thoroughfare  which  is  claimed  —  and  doubt- 
less justly  so  —  to  be  the  finest  street  in  all 
Europe,  we  look  across  at  the  Castle  and  the 
Old  Town,  and  without  any  great  appeal  to 
the  imagination  can  picture  the  Edinburgh 
of  Queen  Mary's  time,  over  three  hundred 
years  ago.  What  a  feast  for  the  colour- 
loving  eye  it  must  have  been,  to  see  on  a  day 
like  this,  Queen  Mary  and  her  glittering, 
gorgeous  retinue  winding  downward  from 
the  Castle  along  the  High  Street,  on  a  journey 
to  Holyrood. 

The  distinctive  features  of  the  ancient  city 
remain  the  same.  The  Castle,  dominant 
now  as  then  from  all  points  of  view,  is  the 
uppermost  extremity  of  a  rocky  ridge  ex- 


Old  Edinburgh  9 


THE   OLD  TOWN    OF   EDINBURGH 

Mt 
t          T-         f         -r 


10  Old  Edinburgh 

tending  down  to  Holyrood.  On  this  sturdy 
backbone  stands  the  Old  Town.  The  high- 
way which  crowns  the  ridge  and  stretches 
from  the  Castle  downward,  still  retains  its 
ancient  names  of  Lawnmarket,  High  Street, 
and  Canongate.  One  could  say  with  almost 
literal  truth  that  every  foot  of  ground  along 
this  historic  thoroughfare  has  been  drenched 
with  blood,  worthy  and  unworthy,  patrician 
and  plebeian.  Human  life  was  of  little  ac- 
count in  the  stirring  days  of  old. 

Edinburgh  is  always  impressive;  perhaps 
more  so  in  cloud  than  in  sunshine.  When 
the  clouds  hang  low  over  the  city,  blown 
along  in  ragged  procession,  and  a  "  haar  " 
comes  drifting  in  from  the  sea,  filling  the 
lower  air  with  soft  gray  mist  —  a  "  Scotch 
mist  "  —  then  the  Castle  looms  up  vaguely 
and  frowningly,  the  very  embodiment  of 
brooding  power  and  mystery,  of  intrigue  and 
dark  deeds.  The  gray  of  its  walls  is  as  the 
gray  of  the  mists.  The  houses  along  the 
ridge  of  the  Old  Town  are  also  of  gray  stone, 
the  stains  of  soot  and  weather  on  their  walls 
further  tending  to  sadness  of  aspect.  Truly, 
the  Old  Town  on  a  cloudy  day  is  a  gray  city ; 


Old  Edinburgh  11 

a  city  of  mystery ;  of  ghosts  and  memories  of 
long  ago,  if  the  visitor  has  an  imagination. 

Every  traveller  recalls  as  one  of  his  most 
vivid  memories  of  Edinburgh,  the  impressive 
view  by  night  of  the  Old  Town  from  Princes 
Street;  a  vaguely  looming,  sombre  front, 
relieved  by  many  cheery  points  of  light  from 
its  base  to  the  jagged  sky-line.  Perhaps 
this  present  external  aspect  may  most  nearly 
suggest  Old  Edinburgh  at  night  three  hun- 
dred years  ago.  Looking  from  what  is  now 
Princes  Street  —  then  the  swampy  border  of 
the  North  Loch  —  one  would  have  seen 
"  much  the  same  serrated  sky-line  lowering 
itself  eastward  from  the  shadowy  mass  of 
the  Castle  Rock,"  and  "  the  same  twinkling 
embankment  of  the  High  Street  and  its 
closes." 

Each  step  in  Edinburgh  is  historical;  on 
every  side  arise  the  shapes  of  those  memo- 
rable in  history,  long'  since  passed  away,  and 
visions  of  a  stirring  and  romantic  past  con- 
front us  at  every  turn  and  corner.  We  find 
the  city  changed  in  detail  from  the  demands 
of  improvement  and  the  ravages  of  time,  but 
its  general  appearance  still  remains  strongly 


12  Old  Edinburgh 

suggestive  of  mediaeval  Edinburgh.  Here 
are  still  many  of  the  massive,  dark,  time- 
worn  old  mansions,  teeming  with  the  recol- 
lections of  many  generations,  and  the  history 
of  some  of  these  alone  would  fill  a  volume. 

Here  the  Past  confronts  the  Present. 
Beyond  the  valley  —  once  the  site  of  the 
Nor'  Loch  and  a  noisome  swamp ;  now  mag- 
ically transformed  into  a  blooming  garden  — 
stands  the  modem  Edinburgh,  peaceful  and 
prosperous,  with  its  broad  streets  and  spa- 
cious squares.  Midway  between  the  Old 
and  New,  most  fittingly  placed,  the  noble 
memorial  of  Scott  overlooks  this  beautiful 
prospect. 

Along  the  ancient  High  Street  of  the  Old 
Town,  King  David  rode  with  hound  and  horn 
to  hunt  the  "  hartis  "  and  "  hyndis  "  in  his 
great  surrounding  Forest  of  Drumsheugh, 
as  he  did  on  that  day  of  the  Holy  Rood  when 
he  had  the  miraculous  escape  which  led 
to  the  founding  of  Holyrood  Abbey.  This 
same  highway  resounded  to  the  tumult  and 
clash  of  arms  as  the  Douglases  and  the 
Hamiltons  mingled  in  fierce  and  deadly 
conflict : 


Old  Edinburgh  13 

"  When  the  streets  of  High  Dunedin, 
Saw  lances  gleam  and  falchions  redden, 
And  heard  the  slogan's  deadly  yell." 

Here  also  passed  John  Knox,  "  who  never 
feared  the  face  of  man,"  with  long  white 
beard  and  faltering  steps,  supported  by  the 
arm  of  his  winsome  young  wife,  Margaret 
Stewart  of  Ochiltree,  as  he  went  to  preach  for 
the  last  time  in  St.  Giles;  and  here  is  his  last 
resting  place,  still  marked  with  bronze  in  the 
pavement.  In  old  St.  Giles  we  have  a  vision 
of  a  stirring  scene  on  a  certain  Sunday  morn- 
ing, when  the  doughty  kailwife,  Jenny 
Geddes,  hurled  her  "  cutty-stool "  at  the 
head  of  the  astonished  dean  Hanna  as  he 
gave  out  the  hated  liturgy;  then  again  we 
meet  the  stern  and  solemn  Covenanters, 
armed  in  defence  of  "an  oppressed  Kirk 
and  a  broken  Covenant." 

At  the  Market  Cross  the  war-trumpets 
once  sounded  defiance,  and  here  was  heard 
the  mysterious  midnight  summons  to  those 
who  were  doomed  to  fall  upon  the  field  of 
Flodden,  warning  them  that  they  were 
soon  to  enter  the  domains  of  Pluto.  Again 
we  seem  to  hear  the  wailing  and  lamentation 


14  Old  Edinburgh 

in  the  stricken  city  after  the  tidings  of  that 
mortal  battle  came : 

"  Flodden-field,  whose  fatal  day 

Brought  dool  and  care, 
When  Scotland's  flowers  were  wed  away, 
To  bloom  nae  mair." 

The  many  windows  of  these  lofty  houses, 
hung  with  gay  banners,  tapestries,  and  cloth 
of  gold,  were  once  filled  with  eager,  excited 
faces  as  some  splendid  procession  wound 
along  the  High  Street ;  and  from  them  again 
the  people  looked  down  as  the  gallant  Argyll 
or  the  crafty  Morton  was  brought  forth  to 
lay  his  head  under  the  sharp  axe  of  the 
"  Maiden." 

In  the  old  West  Bow,  stood,  until  1878, 
the  haunted  house  of  the  wizard,  Weir  of 
Kirkton,  the  owner  of  the  magical  walking 
stick  with  the  carved  head,  which  performed 
its  master's  errands.  Here,  feared  and 
shunned  by  their  neighbours,  dwelt  the 
Wizard  and  his  sister,  until,  accused  of 
sorcery  and  commerce  with  Satan,  they 
were  executed  for  witchcraft  in  1670. 

Up  this  steep  and  narrow  way,  which  was 


THE   WEST    BOW.       CONDEMNED   COVENANTERS    BEING   LED 
TO    EXECUTION     IN    THE    GRASSMARKET. 


Old  Edinburgh  15 

the  state  entrance  to  the  city,  have  ridden 
James  IV.;  James  V.  with  his  Queen,  Mary 
of  Guise;  and  later,  their  fair  and  unfortu- 
nate daughter,  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots.  By 
this  same  street,  her  son,  James  VI.,  and  his 
Queen,  Anne  of  Denmark,  entered  their 
capital  with  quaint  ceremonies.  Many  other 
historic  figures  have  passed  this  way ;  Charles 
I.  with  his  imposing  guard;  Oliver  Crom- 
well —  "  Old  Noll  "  —  and  his  stern-faced 
Ironsides;  the  pleasure-loving  and  disso- 
lute Charles  II.  before  the  battle  of  Dunbar 
was  fought  and  lost;  and  James  VII.  of  Scot- 
land, when  Duke  of  York,  with  his  Queen 
and  daughter,  afterwards  Queen  Anne. 

Through  this  ancient  street  also,  of  which 
little  now  remains,  passed  lines  of  gilded 
sedan-chairs  with  their  linkmen  and  armed 
escort,  bearing  aristocratic  occupants,  pow- 
dered and  patched,  to  some  gay  rout  in  the 
old  Assembly  Rooms.  And  down  this  same 
steep  thoroughfare  in  ancient  times  went  a 
multitude  of  unfortunates  to  the  execution 
place  in  the  Grassmarket;  in  later  days 
through  here  surged  the  raging  Porteous 
Mob,  dragging  their  frantic  victim  to  string 
him  from  a  dyer's  pole. 


16  Old  Edinburgh 

In  Blackfriars  Wynd  —  now  Blackfriars 
Street  —  where  the  famous  "  tulzie  "  of 
"  Cleanse  the  Causey  "  took  place,  was  the 
splendid  town  mansion  of  William  St.  Clair, 
Earl  of  Orkney,  and  founder  of  Roslin  Chapel, 
who  lived  in  almost  regal  state,  being  served 
at  his  table  in  vessels  of  gold  and  silver  by 
the  lesser  nobility;  Lord  Borthwick  was  his 
cupbearer,  and  Lord  Fleming  his  carver. 
Father  Hay,  the  confessor,  records:  "  His 
Countess  was  waited  on  by  seventy-five 
gentilwomen,  whereof  fifty- three  were  daugh- 
ters of  noblemen,  all  cloathed  in  velvets  and 
silks  and  with  their  chains  of  gold  and  other 
pertinents;  together  with  200  rideing  gentil- 
men,  quho  accompanied  her  in  alle  her  jour- 
nies.  She  had  carried  before  hir  when  she  went 
to  Edinburgh  if  it  were  dark  eighty  lighted 
torches,  so  that  in  a  word  none  matched  hir 
in  alle  the  con  trey  save  the  Quene's  Majesty." 
In  Blackfriars  Wynd  also,  was  the  house  of 
the  Regent  Morton,  and  the  turreted  man- 
sion of  Cardinal  Beaton,  where  was  given  a 
banquet  to  Queen  Mary;  and  along  here  in 
later  years  limping  on  his  way  to  school, 
passed  a  fair-haired  blue-eyed  urchin,  Walter 


BLACKFRIARS    WYND    IN    1837. 


Old  Edinburgh  17 

Scott,  destined  to  become  the  matchless 
recorder  of  these  stirring  times  and  scenes. 

Along  the  Cowgate,  then  a  pleasant  rural 
lane  between  green  hedgerows,  Mary  Stuart, 
young  and  beautiful,  passed  with  her  torch- 
bearers  and  archer  guard  on  that  fatal  night 
in  February,  on  her  way  to  the  ball  at  Holy- 
rood.  Soon  after,  from  the  lonely  "  Kirk-of- 
Field  "  came  the  sudden  leap  of  flame  and  the 
thunderous  roar  which  announced  the  death 
of  the  dissolute  Darnley,  for  the  sound  of 
which,  Mary's  enemies  averred  she  listened 
not  less  impatiently  than  Bothwell. 

Here  and  there  we  find  fragments  of  the 
lofty  walls  which  defended  the  city,  when  the 
spikes  in  the  tops  of  the  battlemented  gates 
were  seldom  without  a  row  of  human  heads 
and  other  grisly  tokens,  relics  often  of  gross 
injustice.  In  the  Old  Town  there  is  not  a 
street  where  blood  has  not  been  spilled  time 
and  again,  for  in  the  wild  and  lawless  Edin- 
burgh of  those  days  when  the  sword  was  ever 
in  hand,  to  settle  a  quarrel  &  la  mode  d'Edim- 
bourg  was  a  proverb  in  Europe.  The  ravages 
of  foreign  war  and  family  feuds  left  many  a 
Scottish  mother  with  not  a  son  to  comfort 


18  Old  Edinburgh 

her  in  her  old  age.  The  Spartan  spirit  of  the 
times  is  shown  in  the  old  Jacobite  song :  — 

«« I  once  had  sons,  I  now  hae  nane, 
I  bore  them,  toiling  sairlie ; 
But  I  would  bear  them  a'  again, 
To  lose  them  a'  for  Charlie !  " 

When  David  Home  of  Wedderburn  died  in 
1574  in  his  fiftieth  year,  of  consumption,  he 
was  the  first  of  his  race  who  had  died  a 
natural  death  —  all  the  others  had  lost  their 
lives  in  defending  their  country,  or  in  private 
feuds. 

In  Dunbar's  Close,  in  the  "  Rose  and 
Thistle,"  Cromwell's  Ironsides  had  their 
guard-house.  Here  in  the  autumn  evenings 
of  1650,  often  sat  Cromwell,  Monk,  Tomlin- 
son,  and  Ireton,  smoking  their  "  yards  of 
clay  "  and  drinking  good  Scotch  ale;  their 
batteries  at  Heriot's  Hospital  and  the  "  Lang- 
gait  "  meanwhile  hurling  shot  and  shell  at 
the  Castle. 

When  we  visit  Holyrood,  visions  of  Knox 
will  confront  us.  We  see  him  in  his  black 
Geneva  cloak,  leaning  on  his  long  horn- 
handled  walking  staff,  grim  and  stern,  before 


Old  Edinburgh  19 

his  angry  and  tearful  Queen;  assailing  her 
with  harsh  admonitions,  and  with  rebukes 
for  her  love  of  music  and  dancing.  In  the 
little  supper-room  we  picture  again  the 
tragedy  which  was  perhaps  the  turning  point 
in  Mary's  career.  In  this  tiny  room,  scarcely 
larger  than  a  closet,  we  can  see  the  terrified 
Queen,  not  long  a  wife  and  soon  to  become  a 
mother,  surrounded  by  fierce  threatening 
faces  and  drawn  swords;  the  ghastly  face  of 
Ruthven,  who  had  risen  from  a  sick  bed  to 
commit  this  crime,  looking  out  from  his  full 
suit  of  armour;  the  overturned  table,  and 
the  elegant  and  effeminate  Rizzio  crouching 
behind  his  mistress,  clinging  to  her  robe 
while  he  implores  her  to  save  him;  the 
jealous  Darnley,  loutish  and  shambling, 
holding  her  in  feigned  protection,  while 
George  Douglas,  snatching  Darnley 's  dagger, 
reaches  over  the  Queen's  shoulder  and  plunges 
it  in  the  cringing  favourite.  At  the  head  of 
the  great  staircase  outside  there  is,  or  once 
was,  the  dark  stain  of  Rizzio's  blood  on  the 
spot  where  the  body  was  dragged  by  the 
murderers,  stabbed  in  more  than  fifty  places. 
In  relief  to  this  dark  memory  of  the  old 


20  Old  Edinburgh 

Palace  are  the  merry  scenes  in  the  long 
"  Picture  Gallery  of  the  Kings,"  where 
"  Bonnie  Prince  Charlie,"  surrounded  by 
rejoicing  Jacobites  wearing  white  cockades, 
danced  to  the  music  of  the  same  pipes  that 
played  at  Falkirk  and  Culloden.  And, 
greatest  event  of  all  in  gaiety  and  splendour, 
the  wedding  festivities  of  James  IV.  with 
Margaret  Tudor  —  the  union  of  the  "  Thistle 
and  the  Rose  "  —  which  was  destined  after  a 
century  more  of  war  to  effect  the  Union  of 
the  Crowns.  Then  the  ancient  monastic 
house  blazed  with  light  and  colour;  there 
were  plays,  games,  tilting-matches,  feasting, 
and  dancing,  when  Dunbar,  the  Court  Poet, 
tripped  merrily  the  "  dirry-danton  "  with 
Mistress  Musgrave. 

Arthur's  Seat  and  the  great  crags  of 
Salisbury  alone  remained  unchanged  since 
prehistoric  days,  when  they  towered  above 
the  vast  oak  forest  of  Drumsheugh,  which 
stretched  from  all  about  here  to  the  sea. 
This  was  the  home  of  the  wolf,  the  snow- 
white  Caledonian  bull,  and  the  ferocious 
boar,  as  well  as  the  cover  for  the  many 
"  hartis,  hyndis,  toddis  (foxes),  and  sic  lyk 
maner  of  beistis." 


Old  Edinburgh  21 

What  these  hills  have  witnessed  since  the 
Roman  altars  at  Cramond  and  Inveresk  sent 
up  their  smoky  wreaths  to  Jove,  what  the 
grim  old  Castle  and  St.  Giles'  imperial  crown 
have  looked  upon,  is  a  wonderful  story. 
Countless  generations  have  come  and  gone; 
the  men  of  Dinas  Eiddyn  with  golden  torques 
and  wild  flying  hair;  the  Scoto-Saxons  of 
Lothian  and  the  Merse,  with  ringed  byrnies 
and  hoods,  bearing  long  battle-axes;  and 
the  knights  of  the  Bruces  and  the  Jameses, 
steel-clad  and  valorous.  Abbots,  monks, 
nuns,  and  hermits  of  St.  Anthony;  mer- 
chants, stout  burghers,  and  the  fighting 
merchant  sailors  of  Leith;  Templars  and 
Knights  Hospitallers;  the  craftsmen  flying 
their  Blue  Blanket,  armed  for  the  fray;  and 
vast  multitudes  gathered  in  the  Grassmarket 
to  witness  the  burning  at  the  stake  of  witches 
and  wizards. 

In  the  historic  procession  pass  stern-faced 
Covenanters  going  forth  to  die  at  the  gallows 
or  in  the  churchyard  of  Greyfriars,  where  the 
stone  tells  us  18,000  died  as  "  noble  martyrs 
for  Jesus  Christ."  Then  come  the  roistering 
gallants  of  a  later  period,  lace  ruffled  and 


22  Old  Edinburgh 

wearing  rapiers,  ever  ready  for  a  duel  or  a 
drinking-bout ;  and  famous  beauties,  patched 
and  powdered,  with  towering  head-dresses 
and  enormous  hoops,  in  their  gilded  sedan- 
chairs.  Grave  judges  and  jolly  lawyers 
pass  along,  together  with  poets,  painters, 
and  quaint  old  citizens  who  played  "  High 
Jinks  "  in  smoky  taverns.  All  these  pass  in 
review  before  us,  each  interesting  figure 
eloquent  of  some  epoch  in  the  history  of  the 
famous  old  city. 

Besides  all  this  historic  glory,  Edinburgh 
in  picturesque  beauty  is  second  to  none.  In 
the  words  of  Sir  David  Wilkie,  "  What  the 
tour  of  Europe  was  necessary  to  see,  I  find 
congregated  in  this  one  city.  Here  alike  are 
the  beauties  of  Prague  and  of  Salzburg,  the 
romantic  sites  of  Orvieto  and  Tivoli,  and  all 
the  magnificence  of  the  Bays  of  Naples  and 
Genoa.  Here,  indeed,  to  the  painter's  fancy, 
may  be  found  realized  the  Roman  Capitol 
and  the  Grecian  Acropolis." 


CHAPTER    II 

IN   EARLY   TIMES 

T  IKE  all  other  cities,  the  story  of  the  origin 
J — '  of  Edinburgh,  the  ancient  capital  of 
the  Kingdom  of  Scotland,  is  a  web  of  fact 
and  fancy  closely  interwoven.  The  history 
of  the  city  stretches  so  far  back  into  the  mists 
of  antiquity  as  almost  to  elude  the  most 
patient  research,  and  the  double  destruction 
of  the  national  records,  first  under  Edward 
L,  and  again  under  Cromwell,  leaves  much 
dependent  on  vague  and  uncertain  tradi- 
tion. 

In  the  midst  of  a  fair  and  fertile  country 
which  slopes  gradually  upward  from  the 
neighbouring  shore  of  a  noble  estuary,  rises, 
full  three  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
plain,  a  bold  and  precipitous  cliff.  Three  of 
its  sides  rear  almost  perpendicularly  upward, 
forming  a  well-nigh  impregnable  natural 

23 


24  Old  Edinburgh 

fortress.  In  immediate  connection  with  the 
remaining  side,  a  sloping  rocky  ridge,  already 
protected  on  one  front  by  a  lake  and  swamp, 
and  on  all  save  one  by  steep  declivities, 
formed  the  natural  approach  to  this  strong- 
hold. Here  was  discovered  at  once,  by  the 
roving  tribes  of  early  Caledonia,  in  a  time 
when  every  man's  hand  was  against  his 
brother  and  war  was  deemed  the  only  fitting 
pursuit  for  men,  a  site  providentially  planned, 
as  it  were,  for  their  Capital. 

When  Julius  Agricola  arrived  with  his 
Roman  army  in  the  Lothians  about  the  year 
A.  D.  80,  he  found  the  Ottadeni  and  the 
Gadeni  occupying  the  territory  all  about  here. 
These  were  two  of  the  twenty-one  Caledonian 
tribes  who  at  this  time  occupied  all  Northern 
Britain,  and  the  Ottadeni  and  Gadeni,  well 
armed  and  doughty  foemen,  resisted  the  Ro- 
mans bravely,  as  the  many  camps  and  battle 
stones  throughout  the  country  testify.  The 
Romans  after  many  desperate  conflicts  suc- 
ceeded in  conquering  the  fierce  tribesmen, 
but  their  hold  on  the  territory  so  dearly 
gained  was  not  for  long. 

It  seems  strange  that  although  the  Roman 


THE    CASTLE. 


In  Early  Times  25 

military  road  from  Brittanodunum  to  Al- 
terva  —  i.  e.  from  Dunbar  to  Cramond  — 
ran  within  a  short  distance  of  it,  the  Castle 
Rock  appears  never  to  have  been  a  Roman 
station,  and  it  is  not  easily  understood  why  a 
people,  so  skilled  in  war,  should  have  neg- 
lected a  natural  fortification  of  such  great 
strength,  situated  as  it  was  in  Valentia,  one 
of  their  six  provinces  in  Britain.  Sufficient 
evidence  has  been  brought  to  light  to  show 
clearly  that  a  Roman  colonia  existed  near 
Edinburgh,  but  it  has  not  been  found  that 
the  site  of  the  town  was  ever  used  by  them 
as  a  dwelling  place. 

As  to  the  origin  of  the  name  "  Edinburgh," 
historians  differ.  The  prenomen  is  a  very 
common  one  in  Scotland,  and  is  always  de- 
scriptive of  a  slope.  Thus,  near  Lochearn- 
head,  is  the  shoulder  of  a  hill  called  Edin-a.- 
chip,  "  the  slope  of  the  repulse,"  so  named 
from  some  encounter  with  the  Romans.  It 
was  a  favoured  theory  of  Sir  Walter  Scott 
that  Edinburgh  was  the  Dinas  Eiddyn  — 
the  slaughter  of  whose  people  in  the  sixth 
century  is  lamented  by  Aneurin,  a  bard  of 
the  Ottadeni.  In  the  "  Myrvian  or  Cambrian 


26  Old  Edinburgh 

Archaeology "  mention  is  made  of  Caer- 
Eiddyn,  or  the  fort  of  Edin,  which  was  the 
stronghold  of  a  famous  chief,  Myndoc,  who 
led  the  Celtic  Britons  in  the  deadly  battle 
with  the  Saxons  tinder  Ida,  the  Flame- 
bearer.  This  was  fought  in  the  year  510,  at 
Catraeth,  in  Lothian,  where  the  flower  of  the 
Ottadeni  were  left  upon  the  field;  and  this 
is  believed  to  be  the  burgh  afterward  named 
after  Edwin. 

The  ancient  Welsh  poem  "  The  Drinking 
Horn,"  by  Owain,  Prince  of  Powys,  pre- 
serves the  memory  of  Myndoc  Eiddyn :  — 

"  When  the  mighty  bards  of  yore 
Awoke  the  tales  of  ancient  lore, 
What  time  resplendent  to  behold, 
Flashed  the  bright  mead  in  vase  of  gold ! 
The  royal  minstrel  proudly  sung 
Of  Cambria's  chiefs  when  time  was  young : 
How  with  the  drink  of  heroes  flushed, 
Brave  Catraeth's  lord  to  battle  rushed, 
The  lion  leader  of  the  strong, 
And  marshal  of  Galwyiada's  throng ; 
The  sun  that  rose  o'er  Itun's  bay 
Ne'er  closed  on  such  disastrous  day ; 
There  fell  Myndoc,  mighty  lord, 
Beneath  stern  Osway's  baneful  sword ; 


In  Early  Times  27 

Yet  shall  thy  praise,  thy  deathless  name 
Be  woke  on  harps  of  bardic  fame, 
Sung  by  the  Cymry's  tuneful  train, 
Aneurin  of  celestial  strain." 

The  disquisitions  of  antiquarians  regarding 
the  origin  and  etymology  of  Edinburgh  are 
extremely  interesting,  and  there  is  great 
temptation  to  linger  over  them.  The  most 
plausible  conclusion,  however,  is  that  the 
name  comes  from  Edwin  of  Deira,  the  first 
Christian  King  of  Northumberland,  who  after 
his  victory  over  Aethelfrith  of  Bernicia,  A.  D. 
626,  fortified  the  Castle  Rock  as  his  northern 
outpost,  calling  it  Edwin's  Burgh;  "  burgh  " 
being  synonymous  with  castle  or  town. 

The  early  history  of  Edinburgh  is  embraced 
in  that  of  the  Castle  and  Abbey.  Under  the 
protection  of  the  fortress  the  rude  huts  of 
the  early  dwellers  clustered,  and  advanced 
cautiously  down  along  the  rocky  ridge  of  the 
town.  Later,  in  the  security  and  affluence  of 
a  more  peaceful  era,  rose  the  consecrated 
walls  of  Holyrood,  which  became  the  centre 
of  wealth  and  learning  to  the  semi-barbarous 
Saxons  of  the  fertile  Lowlands. 

The  earliest  chronicles  relate  almost  exclu- 


28  Old  Edinburgh 

sively  to  the  Castle,  which  has  existed  as  a 
stronghold  as  far  back  as  tradition  extends, 
and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  from  its 
earliest  discovery  the  site  was  considered  a 
position  of  great  importance.  The  most 
remote  date  which  has  been  discovered  in 
relation  to  its  origin,  is  in  Stow's  Summarie 
of  Englyshe  Chronicles,  which  places  it  in  the 
year  989  B.  c.  He  says,  "  Ebranke,  the 
sonne  of  Mempricius,  was  made  ruler  of 
Britayne;  he  had,  as  testifieth  Policronica, 
Ganfride  and  other  twenty-one  wyves,  of 
whom  he  receyved  twenty  sonnes  and  thirty 
daughters;  whyche  he  sente  into  Italye, 
there  to  be  maryed  to  the  blood  of  the 
Troyans.  In  Albayne  (now  called  Scotlande) 
he  edified  the  castell  of  Alclude,  which  is 
Dumbritayn;1  he  madethecastellof  Maydens, 
now  called  Edenbrough:  he  made  also  the 
castell  of  Banburgh,  in  the  23d  yere  of  his 
reign." 

Camden  says  that  during  the  time  when  the 
Britons  held  it  they  called  it  Castel  Mynedh 
Agnedh  —  the  Maiden's  or  Virgin's  Castle  — 
from  the  fact  that  maidens  of  the  royal  blood 

1  Dumbarton. 


In  Early  Times  29 

were  kept  there  during  the  period  of  their 
education.  The  correct  translation,  however, 
means  not  this,  but  "  The  Hill  which  over- 
looks the  Plain."  "  Castrum  Puellarum," 
says  Chalmers,  "  was  the  learned  and  diplo- 
matic name  of  the  place,  as  appears  from 
existing  charters  and  documents:  Edin- 
burgh, its  vulgar  appellation;"  while  Bu- 
chanan asserts  that  its  ancient  names  of  the 
Dolorous  Valley  and  Maiden  Castle  were 
borrowed  from  ancient  French  romances 
"  devised  within  the  space  of  three  hundred 
years  "  from  his  time. 

However  this  may  all  be,  interesting  as  it 
is,  we  reach  no  firm  historic  ground  until 
we  come  to  the  reign  of  Malcolm  II.  (1005- 
1034),  which  marks  a  distinctive  epoch  in  the 
history  of  Scotland.  The  Kingdom  of 
Northumbria,  for  a  brief  period  again  power- 
ful, essayed  once  more  to  dominate  the 
Lothians,  which  then  reached  to  the  limits  of 
Durham.  Malcolm  II.  determined  to  free 
his  territory  from  the  Northumbrian  yoke, 
and  after  some  reverses,  he,  with  the  support 
of  his  kinsman,  Owen,  King  of  Cumbria, 
defeated  the  Northumbrians  at  Carham  on 


30  Old  Edinburgh 

the  Tweed,  in  a  victory  so  decisive  that 
hardly  a  man  of  the  Northumbrian  army 
escaped.  England  afterward  thought  it 
politic  to  cede  to  the  Kingdom  of  Scotland 
all  the  territory  north  of  the  Tweed.  Had 
Lothian  remained  an  English  possession, 
Edinburgh  would  probably  have  never  been 
more  than  a  town  of  minor  consequence,  so 
the  Battle  of  Carham  was  an  event  of  vital 
importance  in  the  history  of  the  city. 

Next  we  meet  with  an  interesting  couple 
who  seem  to  impress  us  with  a  more  human 
tangibility :  King  Malcolm  Canmore  —  Mal- 
colm with  the  Big  Head,  whom  we  meet  also 
in  "  Macbeth  " —  and  his  beautiful  and 
saintly  Queen,  Margaret,  the  Atheling,  niece 
of  Edward  the  Confessor.  A  strangely- 
matched  but  most  devoted  and  loving  couple 
they  seem  to  have  been;  the  grave  middle- 
aged  husband,  who,  though  used  to  war  and 
living  amid  primitive  customs,  was  full  of 
love  and  gentleness,  and  the  delicately  nur- 
tured and  beautiful  young  wife  whom  he 
followed  in  all  her  movements  with  adoring 
eyes.  A  most  sweet  and  tender  woman 
appears  to  have  been  Queen  Margaret,  and 
wise  as  well. 


In  Early  Times  31 

King  Malcolm  and  his  beautiful  Queen 
made  the  Castle  a  place  of  refuge  and  resi- 
dence, although  the  capital  was  then  at 
Dunfermline,  for  Edinburgh  was  not  to  be 
the  seat  of  government  until  more  than  three 
hundred  years  later.  The  settlement  of  the 
border  line  between  England  and  Scotland 
had  by  no  means  put  an  end  to  English 
invasion.  Malcolm's  residence  here  was  also 
for  the  purpose  of  controlling  the  southern 
and  Anglian  part  of  his  kingdom,  which  was 
then  beginning  to  look  away  from  Celtic 
barbarism  toward  a  new  culture  and  speech. 

Queen  Margaret  passed  her  time  alter- 
nately between  the  Castle  and  Dunfermline 
Tower,  and  where  she  crossed  the  Forth  on 
her  journeys  to  and  fro  is  still  called  the 
"  Queen's  Ferry."  In  the  Castle,  she  built 
the  little  chapel  on  the  very  summit  of  the 
rock,  and  here  the  saintly  Queen  passed 
much  of  her  time  in  prayer  and  vigil.  This 
tiny  building  of  early  Norman  style,  still  in 
perfect  preservation,  is  the  smallest  church 
in  Britain,  and  the  oldest  building  in  Edin- 
burgh. 

In  the  winter  of  1093,  while  Malcolm  and 


32  Old  Edinburgh 

his  son  Edward  were  away  fighting  the 
Normans  under  William  Rufus,  the  Queen, 
by  her  prolonged  fastings  and  vigils,  increased 
a  severe  illness  from  which  she  suffered,  and 
lay  dying  in  her  chamber  which  adjoined  the 
Chapel.  She  had  requested  that  the  Black 
Rood  —  a  sacred  relic  averred  to  contain  a 
piece  of  the  true  cross  —  be  placed  in  her 
hands.  As  she  held  this  in  silent  prayer,  her 
second  son,  Edgar,  entered  the  chamber 
bearing  the  sad  tidings  that  both  father  and 
brother  had  been  slain  at  the  siege  of  Alnwick 
Castle.  "  Then,"  says  Turgot,  her  confessor, 
"  with  a  prayer  upon  her  lips,  and  raising 
eyes  and  hands  to  Heaven,  she  passed  peace- 
fully away."  She  died  holding  in  her  hands 
the  famous  "  Black  Rood  of  Scotland," 
which  according  to  St.  Aelred  "  was  a  cross 
an  ell  long,  of  pure  gold  and  wonderful  work- 
manship, having  thereon  an  ivory  figure  of 
our  Saviour  marvellously  adorned  with  gold." 
Thus  passed  the  good  Queen  Margaret,  whose 
sole  endeavour  was  to  refine  and  educate  the 
semi-barbarous  people  about  her,  and  her 
wise  and  gentle  influence  must  have  had 
some  effect. 


In  Early  Times  33 

Scarcely  had  the  Queen  breathed  her  last, 
when  the  inmates  of  the  Castle  were  terri- 
fied to  find  it  surrounded  by  a  horde  of 
savage  Western  Highlanders,  clad  in  the  hide 
of  the  dun  deer,  with  hauberks  of  jingling 
rings,  and  headed  by  the  usurping  Donald 
Bane,  younger  brother  of  Malcolm  III.,  who 
had  determined  to  put  his  nephews  to  death 
and  seize  the  Crown.  Believing  that  escape 
from  the  Castle  was  only  possible  through  the 
gates  facing  the  little  town,  he  kept  watch 
over  these  alone,  neglecting  the  postern  or 
"  Sally  port  "  which  still  exists  in  the  western 
wall.  Through  this  the  children  escaped, 
and  were  taken  to  England,  where  they 
found  refuge  with  their  uncle,  Edgar  Ath- 
eling. 

The  body  of  the  Queen  was  reverently  con- 
veyed through  the  same  postern  and  down  the 
steep  declivity  by  Bishop  Turgot  and  others. 
A  miraculous  mist  arose,  so  says  tradition, 
which  hid  the  funeral  cortege  from  the  eyes 
of  the  savage  foes,  and  it  thus  passed  safely 
over  the  Queen's  Ferry  to  Dunfermline.  She 
was  there  buried  in  the  Abbey  Church  where 
now  the  great  stone  block  marks  her 


34  Old  Edinburgh 

resting  place.  The  sockets  of  the  silver 
lamps,  which,  after  she  was  canonized,  burnt 
until  the  Reformation,  are  still  to  be  seen  in 
the  shrine. 

Lord  Hailes  records  a  tradition  of  the 
monks  which  may  be  taken  as  evidence  of 
the  popular  belief  in  the  strong  attachment 
of  the  Queen  to  her  husband.  "  The  body  of 
Margaret,  Queen  of  Scotland,  was  removed 
from  its  place  of  sepulture  at  Dunfermline, 
and  deposited  in  a  costly  shrine.  While  the 
monks  were  employed  on  this  service  they 
approached  the  tomb  of  her  husband,  Mal- 
colm. The  body  became  on  a  sudden  so 
heavy  that  they  were  obliged  to  set  it  down. 
Still,  as  more  hands  were  employed  in  raising 
it,  the  body  became  heavier.  The  spectators 
stood  amazed;  and  the  humble  monks  im- 
puted this  phenomenon  to  their  own  un- 
worthiness;  when  a  bystander  cried  out, 
'  the  Queen  will  not  stir  till  equal  honours 
are  performed  to  her  husband.'  This 
having  been  done,  the  body  of  the  Queen 
was  removed  with  ease." 

David  I.  appears  to  have  been  the  first 
monarch  who  made  the  Castle  his  permanent 


In  Early  Times  35 

residence,  so  that  with  his  reign  really  begins 
the  history  of  Edinburgh.  At  this  time  the 
town  was  a  small  huddle  of  rude,  mud- 
plastered  huts  under  the  castle  walls,  and  all 
about  was  a  dense,  wild  forest  wherein  took 
place  the  miraculous  adventure  of  the  King 
which  led  to  the  founding  of  Holyrood. 

To  quote  quaint  old  Boece,  whose  state- 
ment is  not  less  interesting  than  his  spelling 
is  amusing,  it  appears  that  King  David,  in 
the  fourth  year  of  his  reign,  was  residing  at 
the  Castle  of  Edinburgh,  then  surrounded  by 
"  ane  gret  forest  full  of  hartis,  hyndis,  toddis,1 
and  sic  lyk  maner  of  beistis;  "  and  on  Holy 
Rood  Day,  after  the  celebration  of  Mass,  he 
allowed  himself  to  be  persuaded  by  his  gay 
young  followers  to  ride  forth  to  the  hunt, 
although  Alkwine,  a  holy  canon,  warned  him 
earnestly  against  so  doing.  "  At  laste  quhen 
he  was  cumyn  thorow  the  vail  that  lyis  to  the 
eist  fra  the  said  Castell  quhare  nou  lyis  the 
Canongaitt,  the  staill  *  past  thorow  the 
wode  with  sic  noyis  and  dyn  of  bugullis  that 
all  the  beistis  wer  raisit  fra  thair  dennis." 
The  King,  in  the  pursuit  of  a  great  white 

1  Foxes.         » Train. 


36  Old  Edinburgh 

stag,  at  length  found  himself  alone  and  un- 
horsed, with  the  stag  standing  over  him 
threatening  with  "  auful  and  braid  tyndis."  * 
At  this  juncture  a  supernatural  mist  arose, 
from  out  of  which  a  hand  was  extended 
bearing  a  cross  which  was  placed  in  his, 
whereupon  the  stag  vanished.  That  night  in 
a  dream  St.  Andrew  appeared  to  him,  and 
commanded  him  to  build  a  monastery  for  the 
Augustinian  canons  on  the  spot  of  his  deliver- 
ance; so  thus  came  about,  according  to 
tradition,  the  endowment  of  Holyrood,  but 
the  walls  of  the  sacred  edifice  did  not  rise 
until  some  time  later. 

David  became  so  pious  and  so  munificent 
in  his  support  of  religious  works,  as  to  cause 
the  historical  remark  of  James  VI.  Being 
reminded  that  his  ancestor  was  a  saint,  the 
"  pawky  "  James  sourly  rejoined,  "  Ay,  and 
he  was  a  sair  sanct  to  the  Croon."  David 
greatly  strengthened  the  defences  of  the 
Castle,  adding  to  the  outworks  in  particular 
the  great  Norman  keep,  the  base  of  which 
still  supports  the  Argyll  Tower  over  the 
"  Portcullis  Gate,"  and  as  evidence  of  the 

1  Antlers. 


In  Early  Times  37 

peace-loving  side  of  his  character,  he  cleared 
much  of  the  wilderness  at  the  foot  of  the 
Castle  Rock,  making  of  it  a  beautiful  garden. 
Around  the  nucleus  of  the  Castle,  as  it  were, 
grew  the  town.  The  Castle  for  a  long  time 
afterward  was  the  royal  abode,  and  in  peace- 
ful times  Holyrood  shared  this  distinction. 
In  1128  the  town  was  granted  a  charter  by 
David,  and  became  a  royal  burgh. 

Beginning  with  this  time,  Edinburgh  was 
ever  afterward  considered  a  place  of  much 
importance.  The  kings  were  still  from  force 
of  ancient  custom  crowned  at  Scone,  and 
Parliament  convened  elsewhere,  but  the 
Castle  was  the  residence  of  the  sovereign. 
After  the  death  of  David,  it  was  in  succession 
the  residence  of  his  immediate  successor, 
Malcolm  IV.,  of  Alexander  II.,  and  of  Will- 
iam the  Lion.  When  the  latter  was  captured 
in  1174  at  Alnwick,  across  the  Border, 
whither  he  had  gone  on  a  foray,  the  Castle 
fell  for  the  first  time  into  the  hands  of  the 
English  as  a  pledge  for  his  liberty.  Fortu- 
nately, what  was  lost  by  war  was  regained  by 
peace,  for  afterward  he  married  Ermengarde 
de  Beaumont,  cousin  to  King  Henry,  and  the 


38  Old  Edinburgh 

Castle  was  gallantly  restored  as  the  dowry  of 
the  bride  after  it  had  been  held  by  an  English 
garrison  for  twelve  years. 

In  1286,  Alexander  III.  was  instantly 
killed  by  a  fall  from  his  horse  near  Kinghorn, 
in  Fife,  and  Scotland  was  plunged  in  mourn- 
ing. 

"  Quhen  Alysander  cure  Kyng  wes  dede, 

That  Scotland  led  in  luve  and  16 
Away  wes  sons  *  off  ale  and  brede 

Off  wyne  and  wax,  off  gamyn  and  gl€ ; 
Oure  gold  wes  changed  in  to  lede, 

Cryst,  born  in  to  Vyrgnyte", 
Succoure  Scotland  and  remede 
That  stad  *  is  in  perplexyteV1 

His  tragic  death  involved  unhappy  Scot- 
land in  the  disastrous  wars  of  the  Scottish 
Succession,  for  his  grand-daughter,  the  Maid 
of  Norway,  who  was  heiress  to  the  Crown, 
died  while  on  her  way  to  claim  her  kingdom. 
This  was  the  opportunity  for  rival  claimants 
of  the  Crown,  and  in  the  wars  which  followed, 
Edinburgh  experienced  full  share  of  the 
national  suffering  and  temporary  humiliation. 

Towards  the  end  of  1312,  when  the  deter- 

1  Sons  —  abundance.         *  Stad  —  placed. 


In  Early  Times  39 

mined  efforts  of  Bruce  and  the  incapacity  of 
Edward  II.  had  combined  to  free  nearly 
every  Scottish  stronghold  from  English  garri- 
sons, we  find  Edinburgh  Castle  in  command 
of  Sir  John  Wilton,  a  brave  knight  who  held 
the  fortress  for  England.  Bruce  instructed 
Thomas  Randolph,  his  nephew  —  afterward 
Earl  of  Moray  —  to  effect  its  capture  at  all 
hazards. 

The  daring  capture  of  the  fortress  by 
Randolph  is  one  of  the  most  thrilling  stories 
that  have  come  down  to  us  in  history.  Day 
after  day  he  looked  up  from  the  plain  below 
at  the  grim  Castle,  which,  strongly  garrisoned 
and  amply  supplied,  seemed  from  its  dizzy 
height  to  bid  mocking  defiance  to  his  puny 
efforts.  Each  fresh  sortie  of  his  army  met 
with  repulse,  and  Randolph  had  despairingly 
arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  it  was  beyond 
human  power  to  scale  these  perpendicular 
cliffs  to  grapple  with  his  enemy.  He  had 
almost  decided  to  withdraw,  when  William 
Frank,  or  Francis,  one  of  his  subordinates, 
divulged  important  information. 

His  story  was  that  in  former  years  he  had 
been  a  member  of  the  Scottish  garrison,  and 


40  Old  Edinburgh 

to  enjoy  the  society  of  a  certain  fair  maiden 
in  the  city,  had  broken  strict  military  orders 
by  frequently  escaping  at  night  down  a 
perilous  path  along  the  south  side  of  the  cliff. 
He  now  volunteered  his  services  to  lead  a 
storming-party  up  to  the  Castle  walls. 

At  once  decision  was  made,  and  one  March 
night  under  his  guidance,  Randolph,  with 
thirty  picked  men  carrying  scaling-ladders, 
stole  forth  on  their  hazardous  errand.  The 
night  selected  was  tempestuous  and  bitterly 
cold,  with  no  gleam  from  either  moon  or 
stars.  As  the  brave  band  looked  upward  at 
the  path  they  were  to  traverse,  it  seemed,  as 
Sir  Walter  Scott  says,  "  fitter  for  a  cat  than 
for  a  man,"  but  this,  and  the  frightful  thought 
of  being  crushed  to  death  by  rocks  hurled 
down  upon  them  from  the  Castle  walls,  did 
not  cause  them  to  falter. 

Clinging  to  the  face  of  the  rock  like  flies, 
heavily  armed  as  they  were,  and  bearing 
their  ladders,  they  crawled  steadily  upward, 
any  misstep  meaning  a  plunge  to  certain 
death  below.  The  roaring  of  the  wind  pre- 
vented any  sound  they  made  reaching  watch- 
ful ears,  and  at  length  they  crouched,  chilled 


In  Early  Times  41 

to  the  bone,  at  the  foot  of  the  wall  to  wait 
the  changing  of  sentinels. 

One  of  these  directly  above,  with  tem- 
porary suspicion  at  some  sound,  suddenly 
cried,  "  Aha!  I  see  you  well!  "  and  heaved 
from  the  wall  a  huge  rock,  which  as  it  hurtled 
past  narrowly  missed  the  intrepid  band.  In 
harrowing  uncertainty  as  to  whether  or  not 
they  were  discovered,  the  almost  frozen  men 
waited  until  the  relief  patrol  had  passed  and 
all  became  quiet  above.  Now  came  the 
decisive  moment,  but  to  their  consternation 
the  ladders  proved  far  too  short  to  reach  the 
top  of  the  wall.  At  length  a  spot  was  found 
where  it  seemed  that  two  ladders  bound  to- 
gether might  barely  suffice,  and  with  perilous 
balancing,  three  hundred  feet  in  air,  they 
were  thus  prepared.  Dagger  between  teeth, 
brave  Francis  mounted  and  drew  himself 
over  the  wall,  closely  followed  by  Randolph 
and  Sir  Andrew  Gray. 

The  startled  sentinel's  cry  of  alarm  ended 
in  a  strangled  sob;  up  the  shaking  ladders 
swarmed  the  Scots  sounding  their  slogan, 
"A  Moray!  A  Moray!"  signal  for  their 
forces  without  the  gate  to  be  prepared  for 


42  Old  Edinburgh 

bloody  work.  Sir  John  Wilton,  with  his 
bewildered  men  who  first  rushed  forth, 
quickly  fell  by  the  Scottish  claymores,  and 
Sir  Andrew  Gray  opened  the  gates  to  Blan- 
tyre,  who  entering  with  overwhelming  force 
made  short  work  of  the  garrison.  Thus  ends 
the  story  of  as  gallant  a  deed  as  is  recorded 
in  the  history  of  war. 

Bruce  dismantled  the  Castle  as  was  his 
policy  with  all  captured  English  strongholds, 
in  order  that  the  English  in  future  should 
find  no  snug  lodgment  within  his  territory. 
To  the  great  chagrin  and  disappointment  of 
King  Edward  II.,  when  he  came  later  and 
looted  the  treasures  of  Holyrood  Abbey, 
there  was  no  castle  left  to  protect  him  from 
the  vengeful  Scots,  who  compelled  his  retreat. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  following  reign, 
during  the  unfortunate  minority  of  David 
II.,  Edward  Baliol,  the  usurper  and  tool  of 
Edward,  held  a  Parliament  at  Edinburgh  in 
1333.  This  consisted  of  what  are  known  as 
the  "  disinherited  barons  "  with  seven  bis- 
hops, including  the  Abbot  of  Inchaffray, 
who  there  assented  to  the  humiliating  con- 
ditions imposed  by  Edward  III.  Among 


In  Early  Times  43 

these,  they  agreed  to  deliver  to  the  English 
all  Edinburghshire.  Soon  after  this,  Guy, 
Count  of  Namur,  landed  at  Berwick  with  an 
armed  force  to  assist  the  English,  and 
marched  upon  Edinburgh.  On  the  Borough- 
muir  (moor)  he  was  confronted  by  a  strong 
army  led  by  the  Earls  of  Moray  and  March. 

Richard  Shaw,  a  Scottish  esquire,  in 
accordance  with  the  chivalrous  custom  of 
the  times,  was  challenged  to  single  combat 
by  a  knight  of  the  Count  of  Namur's  train. 
After  a  desperate  combat  each  fell  pierced 
by  the  other's  spear,  and  on  stripping  the 
bodies  of  their  armour,  the  foreign  knight 
proved  to  be  a  woman,  who  for  some  un- 
known reason  had  set  forth  on  this  romantic 
and  fatal  expedition. 

A  fierce  and  bloody  battle  then  ensued; 
the  Count's  forces  gave  way,  fighting  gal- 
lantly as  they  retreated  toward  Edinburgh. 
Here  in  St.  Mary's  Wynd  they  were  penned 
by  another  body  of  Scots  and  unmerci- 
fully slaughtered. 

The  Castle  was  again  recovered  from  the 
English  in  1341  by  a  most  ingenious  strata- 
gem which  owed  its  origin  to  the  fertile  brain 


44  Old  Edinburgh 

of  William  Bullock,   an   ex-priest.     By  his 
plan,  one  Walter  Curry  of  Dundee  took  on 
board  his  ship  two  hundred  Scots  under  the 
command  of  Sir  William  de  Douglas  —  the 
Black   Douglas.     Casting   anchor   in    Leith 
Roads,  Bullock,  disguised  as  a  sea  captain, 
appeared  before  the  governor  of  the  Castle, 
Richard  de  Limoisne,   representing  himself 
as  master  of  an  English  vessel  just  arrived 
with  valuable  store  of  wines  and  provisions. 
These  he  offered  to  sell  at  a  very  reasonable 
price  for  the  use  of  the  garrison.     Limoisne 
took  the    bait    greedily,   and    ordered  the 
stores  delivered  on  the  next  day. 

According  to  appointment,  early  the  next 
morning  the  bogus  captain,  attended  by  a 
dozen  equally  bogus  hardy  mariners,  ap- 
peared with  innocent  and  beguiling  aspect 
before  the  Castle  gates,  driving  several 
loaded  carts.  Of  course  leave  to  enter  was 
readily  given,  but  when  these  guileless  sons 
of  Neptune  had  arrived  with  their  first  load 
directly  under  the  portcullis,  they  upset  the 
cart  so  that  the  gate  could  not  be  lowered. 
The  Black  Douglas  with  his  band  hiding 
near  by  then  rushed  in,  and  after  some  sharp 


In  Early  Times  45 

and  fierce  fighting  took  the  Castle  in  the 
name  of  David  II.  The  flag  of  England  was 
never  again  to  float  over  the  grim  old  fortress 
until  after  the  Union  of  the  Crowns. 

After  David  returned  from  his  captivity 
in  England,  he  made  the  Castle  his  residence 
and  completed  the  work  of  restoration  begun 
under  Edward  III.  He  added  in  particular 
the  massive  and  lofty  tower  known  as 
"  David's  Tower,"  which  stood  for  two 
hundred  years  until  it  was  battered  to  pieces 
in  the  regency  of  James  VI. 

David  died  in  his  "  Tower "  February 
22d,  1370,  in  his  forty-second  year,  the  last 
of  the  direct  line  of  Bruce,  and  was  buried  in 
the  Church  of  the  Abbey  of  Holyrood  before 
the  high  altar.  He  was  courageous  and 
gifted,  and  had  he  lived  in  more  peaceful 
times  might  have  done  much  good  for  his 
people.  Tradition  credits  him  with  some 
artistic  ability,  and  relates  that  during  his 
captivity  in  England  he  spent  much  time  in 
sketching.  It  is  said  he  left  in  his  cell  in 
Nottingham  Castle,  curiously  engraved  on 
the  stone  with  his  own  hand,  the  whole  story 
of  our  Saviour's  passion. 


46  Old  Edinburgh 

This  ends  the  early  epoch  in  the  history  of 
Edinburgh.  Although  sometimes  Parlia- 
ment met,  and  the  sovereign  temporarily 
resided  here,  it  was  still  but  a  frontier  town 
ever  on  the  watch  to  stand  the  first  brunt  of 
the  invading  English.  The  towering  houses 
that  we  meet  in  a  later  period  were  then 
unknown,  and  the  rude  habitations  of  the 
people  were  for  the  most  part  thatched  with 
straw  and  turf. 

When  the  ruddy  glow  of  the  "  bale-fires  " 
warned  the  burghers  that  an  overwhelming 
Southron  host  was  sweeping  over  the  Bor- 
ders to  descend  with  murderous  fury  upon 
the  neighbouring  Lothians,  the  citizens, 
figuratively  speaking,  folded  up  their  tents 
like  the  Arabs  and  silently  stole  away.  They 
did,  however,  actually  carry  off  the  straw 
roofing  of  their  humble  dwellings  as  some 
precaution  against  conflagration;  so  hiding 
their  more  bulky  belongings,  and  driving  off 
their  "  kye,"  I  left  mocking  bareness  to  greet 
the  invaders.  Perhaps  they  sometimes 
chuckled  with  grim  satisfaction  when  they 
pictured  the  enemy,  on  booty  bent,  survey- 

1  Kye :  cattle. 


In  Early  Times  47 

ing  in  disgust  the  skeleton  of  the  town  they 
had  come  to  pillage. 

The  citizens  always  returned  the  compli- 
ment, and  no  sooner  had  the  disappointed 
foe  been  starved  into  a  retreat  from  the 
deserted  town,  than  the  burghers  were  at 
their  heels  "  worriting  "  them  vindictively, 
and  as  Abercromby  says,  "  conformably  to 
their  usual  custom  following  the  enemy  into 
his  own  country,  and  never  put  up  their 
swords  till  by  a  retaliating  invasion  they  had 
made  up  for  their  losses."  After  the  enemy 
had  retreated,  the  simple  needs  of  the  Edin- 
burghers  enabled  them  to  speedily  repair 
damages,  and  to  start  house-keeping  again 
almost  before  the  hostile  visitors  had  crossed 
the  Tweed. 


CHAPTER  III 

IN   THE   TIME    OF   THE    STUARTS 

ANEW  era  begins  in  the  history  of 
Edinburgh  with  the  reign  of  Robert 
II.,  first  of  the  Stuarts,  that  gay,  gifted,  care- 
less race,  whose  faults  even  seemed  to  endear 
them  to  their  people.  Under  the  reign  of  the 
Stuarts  Edinburgh  rose  to  its  most  lofty 
pinnacle  of  fame  and  glory ;  it  shared  in  their 
triumphs,  and  suffered  in  their  misfortunes. 
With  the  extinction  of  their  line  it  seemed  to 
sink  from  its  proud  rank  among  the  capitals 
of  Europe,  and  to  mourn  its  vanished  magnifi- 
cence. Their  successors  forgot  and  neglected 
the  ancient  Chapel  of  Holyrood,  which  was 
left  to  decay,  and  grass  grew  about  the  pre- 
cincts of  the  Palace  where  under  the  Jameses 
had  been  held  high  court  and  scenes  of 
merry-making. 

In  1384  the  Duke  of  Lancaster  came  over 
the  Border  with  "  an  army  almost  innumer- 

48 


ROBERT    II,    KING   OF    SCOTLAND. 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts  49 

able,"  and  burnt  Edinburgh  to  the  ground. 
It  was  in  this  conflagration  that  the  ancient 
Parish  Church  of  St.  Giles  was  almost  totally 
destroyed,  its  great  central  tower  alone  being 
left  to  mark  the  site. 

The  ancient  church  itself  was  doubtless  on 
a  smaller  scale  than  now,  as  adapted  to  the 
limits  of  the  town.  When  De  Kenne,  ad- 
miral of  France,  came  to  the  assistance  of 
Robert  II.  at  this  time,  Froissart  says:  — 
"  Edinburgh,  though  the  kynge  kept  there 
his  chefe  resydence,  and  that  is  Parys  in 
Scotland;  yet  it  is  not  like  Tourney  or 
Vallenciennes,  for  in  all  the  towne  is  not 
foure  thousand  houses;  therefore  it  be- 
hooved these  lordes  and  knyghts  to  be  lodged 
about  in  the  villages."  It  appears  that  the 
French  were  not  welcomed  with  exceeding 
joyfulness,  for  the  Scots  "  dyde  murmure 
and  grudge,  and  sayde,  Who  the  devyll  hath 
sent  for  them?  Cannot  we  mayntayne  our 
warre  with  Englande  well  ynoughe  without 
their  helpe?  They  understand  not  us,  nor 
we  theym;  therefore  we  cannot  speke  to- 
guyder.  They  will  anon  ryffle,  and  eat  up 
alle  that  ever  we  have  in  this  countrey ;  and 


50  Old  Edinburgh 

doo  us  more  dispytes  and  damages  than 
thoughe  the  Englysshemen  shulde  fyght 
with  us;  for  thoughe  the  Englysshe  brinne 
our  houses,  we  care  lytell  thairfor;  we  shall 
make  thame  agayne  chepe  ynough." 

Up  to  the  year  1437,  tne  buildings  of  the 
town  were  of  the  same  primitive  and  flimsy 
nature  already  described  in  an  earlier  time. 
The  houses  of  the  citizens  were  mostly  con- 
structed of  wood  from  the  neighbouring 
forests  of  the  Boroughmuir,  and  thatched 
with  straw.  Owing  to  the  primitive  and 
careless  habits  of  the  dwellers,  dangerous 
fires  were  thus  liable.  The  nobles  who 
attended  court  had  not  yet  begun  to  build 
their  mansions  in  the  capital,  but  continued 
to  lodge  in  the  monasteries,  as  was  the 
custom  of  the  time.  The  statutes  enacted  at 
this  period  give  us  interesting  insight  into  the 
domestic  life  of  ancient  Edinburgh,  bringing 
before  us  its  quaint  thatched  houses,  with 
wooden  galleries  and  overhanging  eaves. 

With  houses  constructed  of  such  inflam- 
mable material,  one  would  think  the  danger 
in  the  constant  and  careless  use  of  lighted 
torches  would  have  been  apparent  enough  to 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts  51 

inspire  the  citizens  with  some  degree  of 
caution.  Yet  a  law  was  found  necessary  in 
this  regard:  —  "  Item,  that  na  fire  be  fetched 
fra  ane  house  til  ane  uther  within  the  toune, 
hot  within  covered  weshel  or  lanterne,  under 
paine  of  ane  unlaw." 

The  great  danger  from  fire,  together  with 
the  growing  culture  of  the  people,  led  to  the 
building  of  stone  structures,  and  towards  the 
end  of  James  the  First's  reign,  the  archi- 
tecture of  the  town  began  to  show  great 
improvement.  James  himself  set  a  good 
example  when  he  built  and  endowed  the 
Monastery  of  the  Grey  Friars,  which  stood 
nearly  opposite  the  West  Bow,  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Grassmarket. 

The  Sumptuary  Laws  of  James  I.  afford 
interesting  example  of  the  curious  restrictions 
of  personal  liberty  imposed  by  the  King  and 
Council.  It  was  ordered  that  all  except 
knights  and  lords  of  at  least  200  merks  yearly 
rent,  were  forbidden  to  wear  silks,  or  "furs  of 
martrickes,  funzies,  puny,  nor  greater  nor 
richer  furring,"  and  none  but  they  should 
wear  "  broderie,1  pearl,  nor  bulzeone,2  bot 

1  Broderie,  embroidery.        '  Bulzeone,  gold  lace. 


52  Old  Edinburgh 

array  them  at  their  awin  list  in  honest  arrai- 
ments  as  serpes,  belts,  brooches,  and 
cheinzes."  Later,  in  1457,  during  the  reign 
of  James  II.,  it  seems  the  fair  sex  required  to 
be  curbed  in  their  vanity,  even  the  length  of 
their  "  tailes  "  (trains)  being  regulated. 
.  James  I.  endeavoured  to  improve  the  skill 
in  archery  among  his  people,  for  the  Scots 
were  poor  bowmen,  and  in  consequence  at 
great  disadvantage  in  their  battles  with  the 
English.  The  Scots'  favourite  mode  of  fight- 
ing was  in  hand-to-hand  combat,  and  in 
several  instances  battles  had  been  decided 
by  the  expert  English  bowmen  before  the 
Scots  could  get  near  enough  to  grapple  with 
them. 

In  his  first  Parliament  it  was  enacted  that 
"  na  man  playe  at  ye  fute-baa  under  paine 
of  fifetie  schillings,"  but  that  "  all  men  busk 
them  to  be  archers  fra  they  be  twelfe  zeir  of 
aige."  Butts  were  accordingly  prepared  at 
the  foot  of  the  Castle  Rock  near  where  the 
"  King's  Stables "  are  now  standing,  but 
archery  proved  too  tame  a  pastime  for  the 
stirring  Scots  compared  with  the  fighting 
delights  of  "ye  fute-baa,"  and  they  con- 


JAMES    I,    KING   OF    SCOTLAND. 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts  53 

tinned  to  admin  ster  hard  "  dunts  "  to  the 
enemy  in  their  same  old  way. 

James  was  barbarously  assassinated  on 
February  2oth,  1437,  in  the  Monastery  of  the 
Black  Friars  at  Perth.  Shortly  after  mid- 
night, the  rebel  Sir  Robert  Graham  stole 
secretly  into  the  convent  at  the  head  of 
three  hundred  Athole  Highlanders.  When 
the  conspirators  were  heard  approaching  the 
King's  apartment,  it  was  found  on  trying  to 
secure  the  door  that  the  heavy  bar  had  been 
removed.  To  hold  back  the  assassins  while 
the  King  sought  escape,  Lady  Catherine 
Douglas  thrust  her  arm  through  the  bolt 
staples  while  the  other  ladies  pressed  against 
the  door.  This  feeble  protection  gained  time 
for  the  King  to  raise  a  plank  in  the  flooring, 
and  escape  to  the  room  below;  a  moment 
later,  the  delicate  arm  that  served  as  bar 
was  shattered  by  the  violence  of  the  assassins 
in  bursting  open  the  door.  The  King  was 
soon  found  in  his  hiding  place,  and  cruelly 
murdered  by  Graham  and  others.  His 
death  was  universally  mourned,  and  his 
cowardly  murderers,  all  arrested  within  a 
month  after,  were  put  to  death  by  the  most 


54  Old  Edinburgh 

horrible  tortures.  For  two  hundred  years 
the  people  spoke  in  horrified  whispers  of  the 
frightful  revenge  wreaked  upon  the  con- 
spirators. It  is  said  that  feeling  was  so  in- 
tense as  to  include  even  innocent  connections 
of  the  rebels  among  the  executed.  Many  like 
the  aged  Earl  of  Athole,  whose  sole  crime 
consisted  in  being  a  kinsman  to  the  principal 
conspirators,  suffered  death  and  worse. 

The  common  criminals  in  this  affair  were 
given  to  the  hangman,  and  the  choicest 
tortures  were  reserved  for  Sir  Robert  Gra- 
ham —  the  arch-criminal  —  and  the  Earl  of 
Athole.  Their  sufferings  were  prolonged  for 
three  days.  On  the  second  day,  the  Earl  of 
Athole  was  elevated  on  a  pillar  at  the  Town 
Cross,  and  before  the  people  was  crowned 
derisively  with  a  hot  iron  coronet  as  the 
"  King  of  Traitors."  The  Cross  then  stood 
in  the  middle  of  the  "  Hie  Gait,"  a  few  yards 
north-east  from  its  present  location. 

On  the  third  day,  he  was  drawn  through 
the  High  Street  on  a  hurdle  to  the  place  of 
public  execution,  and  after  suffering  all 
manner  of  indignities,  was  beheaded.  His 
head  was  set  on  a  pole  at  the  Cross,  while  the 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts  55 

body  was  quartered  and  sent  to  the  four 
chief  towns  of  the  kingdom  as  warning  to  all 
rebels.  Sir  Robert  Graham  at  the  same  time 
suffered  in  like  manner. 

James  I.  was  in  some  respects  one  of  the 
most  notable  of  the  Scottish  kings.  We  are 
told  that  he  possessed  marked  ability  in 
architecture,  painting,  and  gardening,  while 
his  poetry  evinces  no  inferiority  to  that  of 
his  contemporaries.  He  wrote  much,  but  of 
all  his  poems  three  only  remain,  "  Christ's 
Kirk  on  the  Greene,"  "  Peebles  to  the  Play,"  ' 
and  the  "  King's  Quhair."  The  latter  was 
written  in  honour  of  the  beautiful  Lady 
Jane  Beaufort,  afterwards  his  beloved  queen. 
He  tells  us  how  he  first  saw  her  while  looking 
from  the  window  of  his  prison  in  Windsor 
Castle  into  the  garden  below,  listening  to  the 
nightingales,  and  wondering  what  the  pas- 
sion of  love  —  which  he  had  never  felt  — 
could  be :  — 


"  And  therwith  kest  I  doun  myn  eye  ageyne, 
Quhare  as  I  saw  walkyng  under  the  Toure, 
Full  secretely,  new  cumyn  hir  to  pleync, 
The  fairest  or  the  freschest  zoung  floure 


56  Old  Edinburgh 

That  ever  I  sawe,  methoucht,  before  that  houre, 
For  quhich  sodayne  abate  anon  astert, 
The  blude  of  all  my  body  to  my  hert" 


To  Edinburgh  Castle  fled  Queen  Jane 
Beaufort  for  shelter  after  her  husband  the 
Poet-King  was  murdered  in  Blackfriars  at 
Perth.  King  James  II.  —  "  James  of  the 
Fiery  Face" — was  not  more  than  seven 
years  of  age  when  a  Parliament  convoked  in 
his  name  met  in  Edinburgh,  March  2oth, 
1438.  Soon  after,  the  little  King  was  con- 
ducted from  the  Castle,  and  attended  by  the 
"  Three  Estates  of  the  Kingdom  "  with  much 
pomp  and  ceremony,  went  along  down  the 
old  "  Hie  Gait,"  through  the  ecclesiastical 
"  Burgh  of  the  Canongait  "  to  Holy  rood 
Abbey.  Before  the  high  altar  he  was  crowned 
with  magnificent  ceremony,  the  first  of  the 
Kings  of  Scotland  to  be  thus  united  by  birth 
and  royal  honours  with  the  history  of  the 
capital. 

When  little  James  was  taken  back  to  the 
Castle  after  his  coronation,  under  guard  of 
the  powerful  Earl  of  Douglas  —  Duke  of  Tou- 
raine  in  France,  now  Lieutenant-Governor 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts  57 

of  the  Kingdom  —  Crichton,  the  Lord  Chan- 
cellor, and  Sir  Alexander  Livingstone,  the 
Regent,  he  returned  in  reality  not  King,  but 
prisoner,  for  the  game  of  politics  was  now  on. 
Immediately  began  crafty  plotting  to  secure 
the  person  of  the  King,  for  whichever  lord 
succeeded  in  this  became  practically  the  ruler 
of  Scotland. 

For  the  next  two  years  James  resided  in 
the  Castle  under  close  custody  of  Crichton, 
the  Chancellor,  who  began  to  rule  with 
despotic  power  in  the  King's  name.  Finally, 
he  refused  even  to  allow  the  Queen-mother  — 
the  King's  guardian  —  or  the  Regent  Living- 
stone to  see  the  boy.  The  woman's  wit  of 
Queen  Jane,  however,  was  more  than  a 
match  for  wily  old  Crichton.  She  pretended 
to  a  violent  quarrel  with  the  Regent  Living- 
stone, and  seeking  the  Castle  appealed  to 
Crichton  for  protection.  Completely  allay- 
ing his  suspicions,  she  there  remained  for 
several  weeks  in  the  company  of  her  son. 

At  length  she  assumed  to  remember  a  vow 
she  had  made  to  perform  a  pilgrimage  to  the 
White  Kirk  of  Brechin  for  the  health  of  her 
son,  and  on  the  night  before  her  departure 


58  Old  Edinburgh 

bade  adieu  to  Crichton,  committing  the 
young  King  to  his  charge  with  earnest  appeal 
to  his  fidelity.  It  was  cleverly  arranged,  how- 
ever, that  when  next  morning  the  Queen  de- 
parted with  her  baggage,  borne  on  the  backs 
of  sumpter  horses,  her  son  was  snugly  packed 
among  the  linen  in  one  of  the  "  arks,"  or 
chests.  Leith  was  safely  reached,  and  from 
there  a  ship  took  them  to  Stirling  to  the 
waiting  Regent  Livingstone. 

Livingstone  raised  an  army  and  laid  siege 
to  Edinburgh  Castle,  but  the  astute  Crichton, 
having  lost  the  King,  cannily  made  a  com- 
promise, and  the  keys  of  the  Castle  were 
delivered  into  the  King's  own  hands.  The 
terms  of  his  capitulation  were  that  he  should 
continue  as  Chancellor,  and  as  Governor  of 
the  Castle,  while  Livingstone  should  still  be 
Regent,  and,  with  the  Queen,  guardian  of 
the  royal  person.  This  was  all  agreed  upon, 
and  in  great  amity  all  the  parties  supped 
together  "  maist  plesantlie."  This  condition 
of  affairs  did  not  last  long,  for  the  Queen 
and  Regent  quarrelled,  and  the  latter  essayed 
the  Chancellor's  game  by  trying  to  secure 
the  person  of  the  King.  The  Queen  again 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts  59 

watched  her  opportunity,  "  stole  "  her  son, 
and  fled  with  him  to  Edinburgh,  where  she 
restored  him  to  the  charge  of  the  Chancellor 
in  the  Castle. 

The  baffled  Livingstone,  furious  at  being 
outwitted,  followed  with  warlike  force  to 
Edinburgh,  and  it  seemed  as  if  a  bloody  war 
was  imminent.  All  the  King's  guardians  had, 
however,  a  mortal  hatred  to  the  Earl  of 
Douglas,  and  this  feeling  was  played  upon 
to  bring  about  their  reconciliation. 

The  Bishops  of  Moray  and  Aberdeen,  then 
residing  in  Edinburgh,  proposed  a  conference 
for  a  settlement  of  the  dispute,  and  it  was 
urged  that  this  was  of  vital  importance,  for 
the  House  of  Douglas  was  becoming  so  power- 
ful that  it  threatened  even  the  supremacy 
of  the  Crown.  This  conference  was  held  in 
the  Church  of  St.  Giles,  and  the  rivals  vowed 
complete  amity,  agreeing  at  the  same  time  to 
make  common  cause  against  the  hated 
Douglases. 

The  great  House  of  Douglas  had  at  this 
time  reached  the  height  of  its  power  and 
arrogance.  The  most  powerful  family  in 
Scotland,  by  virtue  of  wealth  and  influence, 


60  Old  Edinburgh 

they  openly  defied  the  House  of  Stuart  by  the 
exhibition  of  the  most  oppressive  and  tyran- 
nical power.  The  Douglas  train  was  larger 
than  the  King's,  and  they  issued  semi-royal 
mandates  which  carried  life  and  death. 

The  great  Earl  of  Douglas  had  shortly 
before  this  died,  leaving  two  sons.  As 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  kingdom,  he 
had  forced  both  Chancellor  and  Regent  into 
the  background  of  affairs,  and  in  wealth  and 
followers  had  been  more  powerful  than  the 
King  himself.  Crichton  and  Livingstone 
thought  this  the  golden  opportunity  to  break 
the  power  of  the  Douglas  clan,  but  it  would 
not  do  to  proceed  openly,  for  that  would 
be  a  signal  for  fierce  civil  war. 

Lord  William  Douglas,  the  eldest  son  —  a 
lad  of  seventeen  —  had  succeeded  his  father, 
but  not  being  allowed  to  inherit  the  office  of 
Lieutenant-Governor,  showed  his  resent- 
ment by  a  decidedly  hostile  attitude  towards 
the  Crown.  He  never  came  to  Edinburgh 
but  at  the  head  of  1,500  steel-clad  followers. 
The  Chancellor  and  Regent  saw  in  the  atti- 
tude of  the  conceited  young  lordling  a  distinct 
menace  to  the  Crown,  and  the  crafty  pair 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts  61 

soon  laid  their  plans  to  put  a  quietus  to  his 
ambition. 

Young  Lord  Douglas  received  from  them 
a  most  flattering  invitation  to  visit  Edin- 
burgh, and  to  sit  in  council  on  the  affairs  of 
the  realm.  Douglas  in  high  elation  started 
on  his  way,  and  was  met  at  Crichton  Castle  — 
twelve  miles  from  Edinburgh  —  by  the  Chan- 
cellor, who  entertained  him  with  such  effusive 
hospitality  that  some  of  the  Douglases  be- 
came suspicious.  They  warned  their  young 
leader  to  beware  of  foul  play  from  both 
Crichton  and  Livingstone,  and  to  remember 
his  father's  advice,  "  Never  put  all  the 
Douglas  eggs  into  one  basket."  They  meant 
by  this,  if  he  was  at  all  hazards  determined  to 
proceed,  to  leave  his  young  brother  David 
behind. 

The  flattered  boy  resented  these  suspicions 
of  his  kind  entertainer,  whom  he  said  had 
never  given  them  occasion  to  distrust  his  hon- 
our, and  rode  on  to  Edinburgh  Castle  accom- 
panied by  his  brother.  They  were  received 
with  great  show  of  welcome,  but  their 
followers  were  excluded  from  the  fortress 
on  the  plea  that  there  was  not  room  for  all. 


62  Old  Edinburgh 

The  King  was  delighted  with  his  young  kins- 
man, and  they  pleasantly  passed  the  time 
until  it  was  announced  that  the  tables  for  the 
banquet  were  spread  in  the  great  hall. 

"  When  the  Earl  of  Douglas  to  the  Castle  came, 

The  Court  they  were  fu'  grim  to  see ; 
And  he  liked  na'  the  feast  as  they  sat  at  dine, 
The  tables  were  served  so  silently." 

The  young  King  with  his  youthful  guests 
sat  at  the  same  table,  and  all  went  well  until 
a  black  bull's  head,  freshly  severed  from  the 
animal  as  its  gory  appearance  testified,  was 
placed  before  the  Douglases.  The  boys  at 
once  knew  from  this  ancient  Scottish  symbol 
of  destruction  that  they  were  betrayed  and 
doomed  to  death.  Springing  from  the  board, 
the  unfortunate  lads  drew  their  swords,  but 
a  crowd  of  armed  men  who  had  been  con- 
cealed by  Crichton's  orders  in  the  "  tiring- 
room  "  near  by,  rushed  in  and  surrounded 
them.  Young  King  James,  with  tears,  re- 
peatedly begged  that  their  lives  be  spared, 
even  drawing  his  sword  to  run  to  their  assist- 
ance, but  Crichton  sternly  told  him  that 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts          63 

Scotland  could  not  hold  both  a  Stuart  and  a 
Douglas ;  either  they  or  the  King  must  die. 

The  unhappy  boys  were  after  a  mock  trial 
pronounced  traitors  and  immediately  be- 
headed, according  to  Balfour,  in  the  great 
hall  of  the  Castle.  No  attempt  was  ever 
made  to  bring  the  cowardly  murderers  to 
justice,  and  these  rude  rhymes  express  the 
popular  opinion  of  the  deed :  — 

«'  Edinburgh  Castle,  toune  and  tower, 
God  grant  thou  sinke  for  sinne ; 
An'  that  even  for  the  black  dinour, 
Erie  Douglas  gat  therein." 

James  II.  was  crowned  when  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  eighteen,  at  once  showing 
himself  a  strong  and  resolute  ruler,  for  he 
made  Douglas,  Crichton,  and  Livingstone, 
quickly  to  realize  his  power.  In  1449,  he 
was  married  to  Mary,  daughter  of  Arnold, 
Duke  of  Gueldres,  and  niece  of  Philip  the 
Good  of  Burgundy,  a  lady  whom  Drummond 
describes  as  "  young,  beautiful,  and  of  a 
masculine  constitution."  She  landed  at 
Leith  July  3,  1449,  with  a  noble  retinue, 


64  Old  Edinburgh 

being  there  received  by  the  King  and  a 
royal  escort.  Their  marriage  was  celebrated 
in  the  Abbey  of  Holyrood  in  the  presence  of  a 
brilliant  company  of  Scottish  and  foreign 
nobles. 

After  James  II.  had  married  the  beautiful 
Mary  of  Gueldres,  he  set  himself  to  the  task 
of  fortifying  his  capital.  In  1450,  immedi- 
ately after  the  Battle  of  Sark,  the  ancient 
city  was  enclosed  within  fortified  walls,  of 
which  now  only  one  fragment  exists,  this 
being  the  ruin  of  the  Wellhouse  Tower  at  the 
northern  foot  of  the  Castle  Rock. 

This  wall  with  its  towers  and  bastions,  in 
addition  to  the  Nor'  Loch,  would  appear  to 
have  constituted  at  this  time  an  effective 
defence  against  the  invading  Southron. 
Later,  it  was  strengthened  and  extended 
after  Flodden's  fatal  day,  when  the  "Flod- 
den  Wall  "  was  so  hastily  built.  Snug  behind 
these  walls  the  ancient  town  long  remained 
secure  from  sudden  invasion. 

The  Nor' —  or  North  —  Loch,  was  a  sheet 
of  water  which  filled  the  valley  below  the 
Castle  Rock  and  extended  along  the  foot  of 
the  ridge  on  which  the  town  was  built.  In 


JAMES    II,    KING    OF    SCOTLAND. 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts          65 

the  reign  of  Malcolm  Canmore  and  the  saintly 
Margaret  this  was  but  a  marsh,  and  we 
remember  that  David  I.  had  reclaimed  the 
border  at  the  foot  of  the  Rock,  making  there 
for  his  pleasure  the  "  King's  Gardens." 
James,  it  seems,  was  quite  willing  to  forego 
pleasure  for  safety,  so  he  destroyed  the 
gardens  which  David  had  made  unto  himself, 
and  substituted  the  lake.  He  is  credited 
with  having  formed  it  entirely  by  artificial 
means,  but  in  all  probability  the  bed  of  the 
swamp  was  only  enlarged  and  deepened. 
The  result  of  his  work,  however,  was  a  body 
of  water  both  broad  and  deep,  and  its 
southern  shore  was  then  so  steep  that  it 
formed  an  effective  defence  without  a 
wall. 

The  reign  of  James  II.  was  in  many  re- 
spects a  notable  one.  Unfortunately,  how- 
ever, this  able  monarch  was  cut  off  in  the 
midst  of  his  active  career  by  the  bursting  of 
a  cannon  at  the  siege  of  Roxburgh  Castle. 

Whenever  time  hung  heavily  on  their 
hands,  the  English  still  kept  up  their  pleasant 
custom  of  taking  little  trips  over  the  Border 
to  make  things  lively  for  the  Scots.  The 


66  Old  Edinburgh 

news  that  they  were  swarming  up  through 
the  fair  valley  of  the  Tweed  with  hostile 
intent  toward  Edinburgh,  was  the  signal 
always  for  each  sturdy  burgher  to  seize  at 
once  his  long  spear  and  run  to  defend  the 
walls,  as  they  were  bound  to  do  under  pain 
of  death  when  the  Deacon  Convener  of  the 
Trades  unfurled  the  famous  "  Blue  Blanket." 
This  constant  condition  of  warfare  between 
England  and  Scotland  made  it  a  matter  of 
prime  importance  that  an  alarm  of  invasion 
should  be  spread  as  quickly  as  possible.  One 
of  the  most  important  enactments  in  the 
reign  of  James  II.  relates  to  a  system  of 
signal  fires  which  flashed  the  warning  through 
Scotland  by  day  or  night  that  the  English 
were  advancing  from  the  Borders.  This  was 
done  by  a  system  of  beacons  known  by  the 
name  of  "  bale-fires,"  which  were  lighted 
according  to  an  arranged  signal  code. 

The  law  provided  that  "  watchers  of  the 
fords  "  were  to  be  stationed  along  the  Tweed. 
On  their  first  knowledge  that  an  English  army 
was  moving  toward  Scotland,  the  alarm  was 
to  be  given  either  by  firing  a  beacon,  or  by  a 
swift  messenger  to  their  comrade  watchers  on 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts  67 

the  walls  of  Hume  Castle,  about  seven  miles 
from  the  Border.  At  once  when  the  alarm 
reached  Hume,  the  "  bale-fires  "  were  kin- 
dled on  the  ramparts  of  the  Castle.  One 
blaze  was  signal  that  the  English  were  on  the 
march;  two  meant  that  they  were  nearing 
the  fords,  while  four  in  a  row  gave  warning 
that  the  foe  came  in  great  strength,  and  that 
a  strong  defence  was  required.  Primitive  as 
this  system  of  signalling  was,  it  was  wonder- 
fully effective  and  frustrated  many  an  English 
attack,  for  within  half  an  hour  the  alarm 
would  be  flashed  from  Tweed  to  Tay,  and  on 
to  the  north  of  Scotland. 

In  Scott's  "  Lay  of  the  Last  Minstrel,"  as 
Margaret  of  Branksome  sits  in  her  turret 
gazing  towards  the  west,  she  sees  the  warning 
gleam  of  deadly  import: 

M  Is  yon  the  star,  o'er  Penchryst  Pen, 
That  rises  slowly  to  her  ken, 
And,  spreading  broad  its  wavering  light, 
Shakes  its  loose  tresses  on  the  night  ? 
Is  yon  red  glare  the  western  star  ?  — 
O !  'tis  the  beacon-blaze  of  war  ! 
Scarce  could  she  draw  her  tighten'd  breath, 
For  well  she  knew  the  fire  of  death !  " 


68  Old  Edinburgh 

In  July,  1469,  Edinburgh  donned  her 
"  Halie-daie  "  garb  to  welcome  young  Mar- 
garet, Princess  of  Denmark,  who  came  to 
marry  the  youthful  King  James  III.,  then 
but  eighteen  years  of  age.  This  royal  child, 
for  she  was  nothing  more  —  Lindsay  making 
record  that  "  The  gentlevoman  being  bot 
twelff  yeires  of  age  at  the  tyme  "—  won  the 
hearts  of  the  people  at  once  by  her  grace  and 
beauty.  The  marriage  was  further  rendered 
agreeable  to  the  nation,  for  James  III.  "  gatt 
with  the  King  of  Denmarkis  dochter,  in 
tocher  guid,  the  landis  of  Orkney  and 
Zetland." 

All  signs  promised  a  most  successful  reign 
to  James  III.,  although  he  seems  to  have 
been  a  man  out  of  touch  with  his  time.  Of 
studious  habits,  and  devoted  to  the  science 
of  chemistry,  or  "  alchemry,"  as  it  was  known 
in  this  age,  he  failed  to  impress  his  subjects 
as  an  example  of  kingly  power.  Scotland  at 
this  time  it  must  be  remembered  had  ad- 
vanced but  little  beyond  barbarism,  and  the 
people  could  not  understand  a  ruler  who 
preferred  a  book,  to  a  sword  and  the  clash  of 
arms. 


JAMES    III,    KING   OF    SCOTLAND. 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts  69 

At  this  time  Edinburgh  consisted  of  one 
long  street  which  extended  from  the  Castle 
to  the  Nether-Bow  Port,  and  beyond  through 
the  ecclesiastical  Burgh  of  the  Canongate  to 
Holyrood  Abbey.  There  were  no  branches 
from  this  main  artery  except  narrow  alleys 
called  closes,  which  ran  from  either  side  of  the 
High  Street  down  to  the  outlying  precincts  of 
the  Grassmarket  and  the  Cowgate.  There 
were  no  fixed  places  for  holding  markets, 
and  the  selection  of  favoured  spots  for  bar- 
gaining gave  rise  to  many  disputes  among 
the  venders.  James  settled  this  difficulty  by 
decreeing  that  the  markets  for  the  sale  of 
various  commodities  should  be  held  at 
specified  places  in  the  town.  The  following 
account  is  historically  interesting  as  indica- 
ting the  principal  localities  in  Edinburgh  at 
this  early  period,  and  gives  as  well  a  lively 
picture  of  the  life  of  the  ancient  town :  — 

"  The  Hay,  Straw,  Grass  and  horse-meat 
markets  were  to  be  held  in  the  Cowgate  from 
Forrester's  Wynd  down  to  Peebles  Wynd 
(which  was  later  pulled  down  three  centuries 
afterwards  to  make  way  for  the  South 
Bridge) ;  the  Fish  Market  from  the  Friar 


70  Old  Edinburgh 

Wynd  to  the  Nether-Bow,  in  Market  Street 
or  Hie  Gait  (High  Street) ;  the  Salt  Market  in 
Niddry's  Wynd ;  the  Camp  of  Chapmen  from 
the  Bellhouse  down  to  the  Tron  (later  the 
Tron  Kirk) ;  the  Hat  Makers  and  Skinners 
opposite  to  them  on  the  south  side  of  the 
street;  the  Wood  and  Timber  Market  from 
Dalrymple  Yard  to  the  Greyfriars  and  west- 
ward; the  Shoe  Market  from  Forrester's 
Wynd  westward;  the  Nolt  or  Flesh  Market 
about  the  Tron;  the  Poultry  Market  at  the 
Cross;  the  Cattle  Market  at  the  King's 
Stables,  back  of  the  Castle;  the  Meal  and 
Corn  Market  from  the  Tolbooth  up  to  Libber- 
ton's  Wynd;  from  there  to  the  Treseps 
(Bowhead)  the  Cloth  and  Lawn  Market; 
Butter,  Cheese,  Wool,  and  all  Goods  to  be 
weighed  at  the  Upper  Bow,  and  a  Tron  or 
Weigh  to  be  set  there  (the  ancient  Weigh 
House) ;  Cutlers  and  Smith  work  to  be  sold 
beneath  the  Nether-Bow  about  St.  Mary's 
Wynd;  and  all  Saddlery  at  the  Greyfriars, 
Grassmarket." 

These  markets  merely  represented  the 
gathering  in  a  specified  place  of  different 
commodities,  and  the  booths  of  the  merchants 


MARGARET   OF    DENMARK,   QUEEN    OF   JAMES    III, 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts  71 

were  generally  rude  fabrications  of  canvas 
and  light  material.  Sometimes  they  were 
stuck  on  "  like  swallows'  nests  "  to  the  walls 
of  neighbouring  churches  or  public  buildings, 
while  in  other  cases  they  stood  by  themselves 
in  a  long  row.  This  custom  had  prevailed 
from  very  early  times,  and  in  the  fifteenth 
century  the  streets  of  Edinburgh  presented 
a  picturesque  and  animated  appearance, 
being  fully  as  noisy  as  London  thorough- 
fares. 

James  as  we  have  said  was  a  student, 
while  his  brothers,  the  Duke  of  Albany  and 
the  Earl  of  Mar,  were  men  of  knightly  valour 
and  accomplished  in  war.  Both  were  great 
favourites  with  the  people,  in  such  degree  as 
to  arouse  the  jealousy  of  the  King,  who  by 
brooding  over  this  preference  for  his  brothers 
became  morbidly  suspicious.  His  astrologer 
—  Dr.  Andrews  —  who  was  his  adviser  on  all 
occasions,  predicted  that  his  death  was 
threatened  by  near  kinsmen.  At  once  the 
King  imprisoned  his  two  brothers;  Albany 
being  confined  in  Edinburgh  Castle  and  Mar 
in  the  Castle  of  Craigmillar. 

The  Earl  of  Mar  when  arrested  was  suffer- 


72  Old  Edinburgh 

ing  under  a  violent  fever,  so  in  a  few  days  he 
was  brought  back  to  Edinburgh  and  lodged 
in  the  Canongate,  where  he  died  under  the 
care  of  the  King's  physician;  tradition  says 
not  without  suspicion  of  foul  play.  It  was 
said  that  having  been  found  guilty  of  con- 
spiring with  witches  against  the  life  of  the 
King,  he  was  sentenced  to  have  a  vein  in  his 
leg  opened  and  then  to  be  placed  in  a  warm 
bath  to  bleed  to  death. 

Albany's  escape  from  Edinburgh  Castle 
was  effected  in  a  daring  manner.  Although 
kept  under  strict  surveillance  in  "  David's 
Tower,"  his  friends  managed  to  convey  to 
him  the  information  that  off  the  Port  of 
Leith  lay  a  small  French  vessel;  a  means  of 
escape  if  he  were  once  outside  the  Castle 
walls.  The  captain  of  this  vessel  by  pre- 
arrangement  sent  to  the  Duke  a  letter  offer- 
ing to  supply  him  with  a  stock  of  wines. 

Albany  sent  his  trusty  servant  for  some 
samples  of  these  choice  products  of  Gascon 
vineyards,  and  the  faithful  retainer  returned 
with  "  twa  bosses  full  o'  Malvesy,"  the 
appearance  of  which  aroused  no  sentiment 
in  Albany's  guardians  beyond  appreciative 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts  73 

and  hopeful  interest.  It  appears  that  in 
this  especial  Gascon  process  of  wine  manu- 
facture rope  was  essential,  for  Albany  found 
in  one  keg  a  coil  of  it.  The  other  contained 
wine,  and  a  letter  protected  by  wax,  which 
warned  him  to  lose  no  time,  for  "  the  King's 
minions  had  resolved  he  should  die  before 
to-morrow's  sun  set." 

At  once  laying  his  plot,  Albany  invited 
the  captain  and  officers  of  his  guard  to  supper 
with  him,  and  so  liberally  set  his  new  stock 
of  wine  in  circulation  that  he  at  length  had 
them  all  in  a  maudlin  condition.  He  him- 
self, while  feigning  to  drink  deeply,  had  in 
reality  consumed  little,  and  now  was  his 
opportunity  to  escape. 

Snatching  the  drunken  captain's  dagger 
from  his  belt  he  turned  it  against  him  with 
fatal  effect,  and  then  immediately  stabbed 
the  others  of  the  helpless  guard.  With 
unnecessary  savagery,  he  and  his  faithful 
"  Chalmer-chield  "  T  threw  the  corpses  into 
a  roaring  fire  which  blazed  in  the  huge  fire- 
place, "and  there  in  their  armour  they  broiled 
and  sweltered  like  tortoises  in  iron  shells." 

1 "  Chamber-child,"  or  Bedchamber  attendant. 


74  Old  Edinburgh 

This  conduct  on  the  part  of  one  who  from 
his  gallant  deeds  in  France  had  been  called 
the  "  Father  of  Chivalry,"  serves  to  illustrate 
the  barbarous  ferocity  of  the  time. 

Taking  their  rope,  and  with  the  keys  taken 
from  the  captain  of  the  guard  locking  the 
doors  behind  them,  the  two  men  hurried  to 
an  unguarded  portion  of  the  Castle  wall. 
Albany's  attendant  courageously  insisted  on 
going  down  first  to  test  the  rope,  but  found  it 
far  too  short,  and  met  with  a  frightful  fall  on 
the  rocks  below.  Albany  hastened  back  to 
the  Tower,  and  stripping  the  sheets  from  his 
bed  added  their  length  to  the  rope,  being 
then  enabled  to  lower  himself  over  the  wall 
in  safety  to  the  rocks  below. 

Here  he  found'  his  luckless  "  Chalmer- 
chield  "  lying  helpless  with  a  broken  thigh 
and  other  injuries.  Albany  appreciated  his 
devotion,  and  to  save  him  from  the  certain 
death  which  was  imminent,  took  him  on  his 
back  and  carried  him  all  the  way  to  Leith. 
Albany  could  have  been  no  weakling,  for 
two  miles  stretch  between  the  Castle  and  the 
Leith  sands. 

There  he  found  a  boat  awaiting  him,  and 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts          75 

boarding  the  French  vessel  sailed  to  Dunbar, 
where  he  put  his  attendant  tinder  surgical 
care.  This  accomplished  and  supplies 
secured,  he  made  his  way  to  France. 

His  escape  was  not  discovered  until  the 
nobles  arrived  on  the  following  morning  to 
witness  his  execution,  these  little  events  being 
generally  considered  at  the  time  as  affording 
a  mild  and  pleasant  diversion,  but  Albany 
was  by  that  time  far  out  of  reach.  The 
discovery  of  the  rope  on  the  wall,  and  the 
inability  to  rouse  the  guard  in  the  Tower, 
at  once  aroused  suspicion.  The  door  was 
battered  in,  the  searchers  were  met  by  the 
frightful  stench  from  the  roasting  bodies  and 
a  horrible  sight  was  revealed. 

Albany  eventually  reached  England,  and 
began  plotting  with  Edward  IV.  to  seize  the 
Crown  of  Scotland.  Edward  was  too  astute 
a  politician  not  to  make  the  most  of  this 
opportunity,  and  the  Duke  of  Gloucester, 
accompanied  by  Albany,  soon  marched  north- 
ward into  Scotland,  burning  and  pillaging  as 
they  went.  King  James  hastened  to  arms, 
and  after  mustering  his  army  on  the  Borough- 
muir,  went  south  to  Lauder  with  his  Court 


76  Old  Edinburgh 

favourites.  It  appears  that  the  nobles  revolted 
against  James.  Under  the  leadership  of  the 
Earls  of  Huntly,  Angus,  and  Lennox,  they 
seized  the  plebeian  favourites  of  the  King  and 
hanged  them  over  Lauder  Bridge.  James 
was  then  placed  under  restraint  and  taken 
back  to  Edinburgh,  where  he  was  lodged  in 
the  Castle. 

Albany  and  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  met 
no  resistance  to  their  march  of  devastation, 
and  on  their  appearance  before  Edinburgh, 
for  some  unexplained  reason  Gloucester 
assented  to  a  treaty  of  peace.  Albany,  on 
condition  of  his  swearing  allegiance  to  James, 
was  to  be  restored  to  his  former  position  and 
forgiven  for  all  past  offences.  In  addition  he 
was  created  Lieutenant-General,  and  Earl  of 
Mar.  There  could  be  no  real  reconciliation 
between  the  King  and  his  brother,  however, 
and  in  July,  1483,  Albany  was  declared  an 
outlawed  traitor,  his  estates  being  confis- 
cated. 

The  star  of  James  III.  was  now  waning, 
and  his  vacillating  rule  was  to  end  in  violent 
death.  The  nobles,  ever  mindful  of  the  fact 
that  England  kept  predatory  watch  over 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts          77 

Scotland  like  a  hawk  waiting  favourable 
opportunity  to  pounce  upon  her  prey,  became 
restless.  They  feared  the  irresolution  of 
James  would  result  in  English  supremacy 
and  the  loss  of  their  estates.  In  1488  this 
feeling  culminated  in  the  formation  of  a 
powerful  conspiracy  against  him  by  the  lead- 
ing nobles.  James  was  compelled  to  fly 
northward,  where  after  his  defeat  at  Sauchie- 
burn,  he  met  a  cruel  death  at  the  hands  of  an 
assassin. 

James  IV.  was  crowned  in  Edinburgh  in 
June,  1488,  the  outlook  for  a  successful  reign 
being  most  unfavourable,  for  he  was  but  a 
boy,  and  under  the  guidance  of  those  who 
had  made  him  their  tool  against  his  father. 
Yet  his  reign  of  twenty-five  years  proved  to 
be  one  of  the  brightest  in  Scotland's  history. 
He  was  the  first  of  the  Scottish  kings  who 
kept  a  court  in  Edinburgh  in  a  manner  befit- 
ting the  increasing  wealth  and  influence  of  his 
kingdom. 

During  his  reign  Edinburgh  was  noted 
throughout  Europe  as  the  scene  of  brilliant 
tournaments  and  knightly  feats  of  arms. 
The  favourite  spot  for  the  royal  tournaments 


78  Old  Edinburgh 

was  in  the  Grassmarket,  just  below  the  Castle 
wall.  Then  the  windows  of  the  great  hall 
above  were  filled  with  bright  faces  and  gay 
colours,  with  glint  of  steel,  and  flash  of  gold 
and  jewels.  A  brilliant  sight  it  must  have 
been  when  the  court  beauties  and  their 
knightly  attendants  looked  down  upon  the 
stirring  scene  below.  James  himself  was 
called  "  the  beste  jouster  and  the  maist 
parfite  knyghte  "  of  the  time.  Tokens  of 
valour,  like  golden-headed  spears  and  other 
favours,  were  presented  to  the  victors  by 
the  King's  own  hand,  so  that  "  the  fame  of 
his  justing  and  turney  spread  throw  all 
Europe,  quhilk  caused  many  errand  knyghtis 
cum  out  of  vther  pairtes  to  Scotland  to  seik 
justing,  becaus  thay  hard  of  the  kinglie  fame 
of  the  Prince  of  Scotland.  Bot  few  or  none 
of  thame  past  away  vnmatched,  and  oftymes 
overthrowne." 

One  encounter  is  specially  recorded  as 
having  been  witnessed  by  the  King  from  the 
balcony  of  the  great  hall  in  1503: — "A 
famous  cavalier  of  the  Low  Countries,  Sir 
John  Cochbewis,  challenged  the  best  knight 
in  Scotland  to  break  a  lance,  or  meet  him  in 


JAMES    IV,    KING    OF    SCOTLAND. 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts          79 

combat  to  the  death.  Sir  Patrick  Hamilton 
of  the  house  of  Arran  took  up  his  challenge. 
'  Being  assembled  togidder  on  greit  horsis 
under  the  Castle  Wall,'  amid  a  vast  concourse 
they  came  to  the  barriers,  lanced,  horsed, 
and  clad  in  tempered  mail,  with  their  em- 
blazoned shields  hung  around  their  necks. 
At  sound  of  the  trumpet  they  rushed  to  the 
shock  and  splintered  their  spears  fairly. 
Fresh  ones  were  given  them,  but  as  Hamil- 
ton's horse  failed  him,  they  drew  their  two- 
handed  swords  and  fought  on  foot.  They 
fought  thus  for  a  full  hour,  till  the  Dutchman 
being  struck  to  the  ground,  the  King  cast  his 
plumed  bonnet  over  the  Castle  wall  to  stay 
the  combat,  while  the  heralds  and  trumpeters 
proclaimed  the  Scottish  knight  victorious." 

The  streets  of  the  city  presented  a  lively, 
bustling  aspect  at  this  time,  while  the  fre- 
quent —  almost  daily  —  processions,  tourna- 
ments, and  other  festive  events,  brought 
money  to  the  pockets  of  the  tradespeople 
and  craftsmen. 


CHAPTER    IV 

IN    THE    TIME    OF    THE    STUARTS     (Continued) 

THE  marriage  of  James  IV.  with  Mar- 
garet of  England  was  mentioned  for  a 
hundred  years  afterward  as  one  of  the  most 
sumptuous  and  gorgeous  spectacles  that  the 
famous  old  city  ever  witnessed.  The  details 
of  this  royal  reception  give  valuable  insight 
into  the  life  of  Edinburgh  at  this  time,  before 
the  Battle  of  Flodden.  Margaret's  attendant, 
John  Young,  Somerset  Herald,  preserved  a 
minute  account  of  her  reception. 

The  King's  first  meeting  with  the  fair 
Margaret  was  at  Dalkeith  Castle,  where  she 
was  the  guest  of  the  Earl  of  Morton.  After 
passing  the  day  in  her  company  he  returned 
to  "  hys  bed  at  Edinborg,  varey  well  coun- 
tent  of  so  fayr  a  meetyng."  Margaret  was 
then  fourteen  years  of  age. 

On  the  yth  of  August,  1503,  she  made  her 
public  entrance  into  Edinburgh,  being  re- 
80 


MARGARET  TUDOR,   QUEEN   OF   JAMES    IV. 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts          81 

ceived  by  the  people  with  great  rejoicing. 
The  houses  had  their  gray  walls  hung  with 
tapestries,  banners,  and  scarlet  cloth  em- 
broidered with  gold.  The  City  Cross  had 
been  temporarily  converted  into  a  fountain 
which  spouted  streams  of  wine,  while  pro- 
cessions and  pageants  everywhere  lined  the 
streets.  There  were  "  bonnie  bairnes " 
dressed  as  "  angells  "  and  "  synging  joyously 
for  the  comynge  of  so  noble  a  ladye."  The 
windows  were  filled  with  "  lordes,  ladyes, 
gentylwomen  and  gentylmen;  and  in  the 
churches  of  the  towne,  bells  rang  for  myrthe." 

The  Queen  was  attended  on  her  journey 
from  Dalkeith  Castle  by  a  numerous  and 
noble  retinue  including  the  Archbishop  of 
York,  the  Bishop  of  Durham,  and  the  Earl 
of  Surrey.  She  was  received  near  Edinburgh 
by  the  King,  richly  attired  in  cloth  of  gold; 
the  Earl  of  Bothwell  bearing  the  sword  of 
state  before  him,  and  attended  by  a  gallant 
retinue. 

The  King,  dismounting  from  his  horse 
"  kyssed  her  in  her  litre,  and  mounting  on  the 
pallefroy  of  the  Qwene,  and  the  said  Qwene 
behind  hym,  so  rode  thorow  the  towne  of 
Edinburgh." 


82  Old  Edinburgh 

The  Grey  Friars  —  whose  monastery  in 
the  Grassmarket  they  had  to  pass  —  met 
them  in  procession  at  the  entrance  to  the 
city,  bearing  their  most  holy  relics,  including 
the  famous  phial  containing  "  three  drops 
of  the  blood  of  Christ,"  which  were  presented 
to  the  royal  pair  to  kiss.  Within  the  city, 
they  were  received  by  the  Chapter  and  Preb- 
endaries of  the  Church  of  St.  Giles  in  their 
richest  vestments,  bearing  the  arm-bone  of 
their  patron  saint.  Quaint  "  Mystery  "  and 
"  Morality "  plays  suited  to  the  occasion 
were  enacted  on  high  stages.  Near  the  Cross, 
at  the  fountain  of  wine  where  all  might  drink, 
they  were  met  by  Paris  and  the  rival  god- 
desses, "  with  Mercure  that  gaffe  hym  the 
apylle  of  gold  for  to  gyffe  to  the  most  fayre  of 
the  thre." 

Further  on  they  saw  the  "  Salutation  of 
the  Angel  Gabriel  to  the  Virgin.  On  the 
Nether-Bow  Gate  were  the  Four  Virtues: 
Justice  treading  Nero  under  her  feet;  Force 
bearing  a  pillar,  and  beneath  her  Holofemes, 
all  armed ;  Temperance,  holding  a  horse's  bit, 
and  treading  on  Epicurus,  and  Prudence 
triumphing  over  Sardanapalus ;  while  the 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts          83 

tabrets  played  merrily  as  the  royal  procession 
passed  through,  and  so  proceeded  to  the 
Abbey." 

The  Archbishop  of  St.  Andrews  here  re- 
ceived them  with  a  great  company  of  bishops, 
abbots,  and  other  churchmen  in  their  vest- 
ments. At  the  high  altar  they  knelt  while' 
the  "  Te  Deum  "  was  sung,  and  then  passed 
through  the  cloisters  into  the  Palace. 

In  the  great  chamber,  hung  with  tapestries 
depicting  the  history  of  Troy,  with  windows 
representing  in  coloured  glass  the  arms  of 
Scotland  and  England  and  other  heraldic 
devices,  were  many  noble  ladies  magnificently 
arrayed.  The  Queen  kissed  all  the  ladies, 
the  Bishop  of  Moray  acting  as  Master  of  the 
Ceremonies.  "  After  she  had  kyssed  them 
all,  the  Kyng  kyssed  hyr  for  hyr  labour,  and 
so  took  hyr  agayn  with  low  cortesay  and  bare 
hed,  and  brought  hyr  to  hyr  chammer,  and 
kyssed  her  agayn,  and  so  took  his  leve  right 
humble. 

"  On  the  next  day,  the  eighth  day  of  the 
said  month,  every  man  appointed  himself 
richly  for  the  marriage,  the  ladies  nobly 
aparelled,  some  in  gowns  of  cloth  of  gold, 


84  Old  Edinburgh 

others  of  crimson,  velvet  and  black;  others 
of  satin,  tynsell  and  damask,  and  of  chamlet 
of  many  colours;  hoods,  chains  and  collars 
upon  their  necks.  .  .  .  The  Kyng  sat  in  a 
chayre  of  cramsyn  velvet,  the  pannells  of 
that  sam  gylte,  under  hys  cloth  of  astat  of 
blew  velvet  fygured  of  gold; "  with  the 
Archbishop  of  York  at  his  right  hand,  and  the 
Earl  of  Surrey  at  his  left ;  while  the  Scottish 
bishops  and  nobles  led  the  Queen  from  her 
chamber. 

11  A  coistly  croun,  with  clarefeid  stonis  brycht 

This  cumly  quene  did  on  her  heid  incloss, 

Quhyll  aU  the  land  illumynit  of  the  licht ;  " 

Before  the  high  altar  the  marriage  was 
solemnized  by  the  Archbishop  of  Glasgow, 
' '  amid  the  sound  of  trumpets  and  the  accla- 
mation of  the  noble  company." 

Then  followed  the  wedding  feast,  when  the 
Queen  was  served  at  the  first  course  "  with  a 
wyld  borres  hed  gylt,  within  a  fayr  platter," 
together  with  other  royal  dishes.  The  hall 
was  adorned  with  hangings  of  "  redde  and 
blew,"  with  a  state  canopy  of  cloth  of  gold. 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts          85 

"  Ther  wer  also  in  the  sam  chammer  a  rich 
bed  of  astat,  and  the  Lord  Gray  served  the 
King  with  water  for  to  wash,  and  the  Earle 
of  Huntley  berred  the  towalle." 

These  splendid  festivities  were  continued 
for  many  days  with  bonfires,  dancing,  music, 
and  feasting,  in  which  all  joined;  together 
with  tournaments,  coursing,  feats-of-arms, 
and  other  pastimes  of  the  period.  Never  had 
staid  old  Edinburgh  seen  such  a  merry- 
making, and  Dunbar,  the  greatest  Scottish 
poet  of  the  time,  celebrates  the  royal  marriage 
in  his  beautiful  allegory,  the  "  The  Thrissill 
and  the  Rois  "  ("  The  Thistle  and  the  Rose"). 
This  poem,  notwithstanding  in  obsolete 
language,  has  scarcely  been  surpassed  in 
beauty  by  later  productions.  It  has  a  dis- 
tinctly Chaucerian  flavour  as  will  be  noted 
by  the  first  stanzas  given :  — 

THE   THRISSILL   AND   THE   ROISS 

"  Quhen  Merch  wes  with  variand  windis  past, 
And  Appryll  had,  with  hir  silver  schouris, 
Tane  leif  at  Nature  with  ane  orient  blast, 
And  lusty  May  that  muddir  is  of  flouris, 
Had  maid  the  birdis  to  begin  their  houris l 


86  Old  Edinburgh 

Amang  the  tender  odouris  reid  and  quhyt* 
Quhois  armony  to  heir  it  was  delyt : 

41  In  bed  at  morrow  sleiping  as  I  lay, 

Me  thocht  Aurora  with  hir  cristall  een, 
In  at  the  window  lukit  by  the  day, 

And  halsit 3  me  with  visage  paill  and  grene ; 
On  quhois  hand  a  lark  sang  fro  the  splene,4 
Awalk,  luvaris,*  out  of  your  slomering, 
Be"  how  the  lusty  6  morrow  dois  up  spring." 

The  Scottish  Court  was  now  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  in  Europe,  and  the  spirit  of 
chivalry  was  high.  It  was  this  prevailing 
romantic  sentiment  which  brought  about  the 
fatal  Battle  of  Flodden  and  the  death  of 
King  James  IV.  He  allowed  his  high- 
spirited  idea  of  chivalry  to  influence  him  to 
accept  the  romantic  challenge  of  the  Queen 
of  France  —  Anne  of  Brittany,  wife  of  Louis 
XII.  —  and  thus  espoused  the  cause  of 
France  against  England.  She,  from  some 
sentimental  whim,  sent  her  glove  and  her 
ring  to  James  as  tokens  that  he  was  her 
knight-errant,  and  begged  him  "  To  ride 

1  Hours.    a  White.    *  Hailed.     *  Heart.    s  Lovers. 
6  Beautiful  morning. 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts          87 

three  feet  into  English  ground,  and  strike  a 
blow  for  her  honour."  Thus  it  came  about 
that  through  the  vanity  of  a  foolish  woman 
Scotland  was  plunged  into  the  deepest  sorrow 
she  had  ever  known. 

11  Wae  worth  the  day  our  burghers  leal 
Rade  our  the  Ynglish  yird ; 
Wae  worth  the  day  when  leman's  guile, 
To  bluidy  grave  fand  wit  to  wyle 
Our  gallant  James  the  Feird." 

James,  in  his  preparation  for  war,  had 
ordered  that  seven  great  cannon  called  the 
"  Seven  Sisters  "  be  taken  out  of  the  Castle, 
and  while  this  work  was  being  busily  pur- 
sued, a  ghostly  cry  was  heard  at  the  Market 
Cross  at  midnight.  This  voice  proclaimed, 
as  the  herald  of  the  great  Ruler  of  the  Lower 
World,  the  names  of  those  who  were  to  fall 
upon  the  Field  of  Flodden,  and  bade  them 
prepare  to  enter  the  domains  of  Pluto.  The 
principal  nobles  and  men-at-arms  were 
named,  together  with  sundry  burgesses  of 
the  town. 

One  of  them,  Mr.  Richard  Lawson  of 
Highriggs,  ex-Provost  of  Edinburgh,  "  in 


88  Old  Edinburgh 

his  gallery-stair  forenent  the  Cross,"  on  hear- 
ing his  own  name  called,  made  thrice  the 
Sign  of  the  Cross,  and  called  out  in  a  loud 
voice,  "  From  that  summons  and  sentence  I 
appeal  me  body  and  soul  to  the  mercy  of 
God,  through  His  Son,  Jesu  Christ  our  Lord." 
The  strange  sequel,  in  actual  fact,  is  that  the 
stout-hearted  ex-Provost  was  among  the  few 
who  came  back  from  Flodden. 

There  is  little  doubt  that  this  warning  was 
arranged  by  Queen  Margaret  and  her  friends 
in  order  to  excite  superstitious  fears  among 
the  followers  of  the  King,  and  thus  prevent 
the  English  expedition.  Had  this  device 
succeeded,  Scotland  would  have  been  spared 
the  loss  of  the  flower  of  her  chivalry  on  that 
fatal  9th  of  September,  1513.  Nothing  could 
deter  the  headstrong  James,  however,  and 
after  the  news  of  the  battle  came,  such  lamen- 
tation as  was  never  heard  before  arose  from 
stricken  Edinburgh,  and  spread  throughout 
the  whole  kingdom. 

In  concluding  this  episode,  it  is  curious  to 
note  a  strange  tradition  that  prevailed  among 
the  Scots  for  long  afterward.  The  body  of 
the  King  was  never  recovered,  having  fallen, 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts          89 

as  is  understood,  into  the  hands  of  the  Eng- 
lish. This  legend  ran  that  the  King  was  not 
slain  atFlodden,  but  had  gone  on  his  intended 
pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  Land,  and  was  yet  to 
return  in  time  of  danger  to  the  nation,  like 
another  King  Arthur.  A  fragment  of  an 
ancient  ballad  discovered  long  after,  embodies 
this  tradition.  The  closing  lines  are :  — 

"  He  cut  the  crosse  on  his  right  shoulder 

O'  claith  o'  the  bluidy  redde, 
An  hes  taen  his  ways  to  the  haly  land 
Wheras  Christe  was  quick  and  dead." 

The  old  wall  of  James  II.  was  by  this  time 
no  defence,  for  the  city  had  grown  far  beyond 
its  limits.  The  dwellers  in  the  Cowgate,  that 
new  and  fashionable  suburb,  became  at  once 
alarmed  at  their  exposed  position  outside 
the  shelter  of  the  City  Wall.  All  males  were 
impressed  immediately  into  the  work  of 
surrounding  the  city  with  a  wall  both  high 
and  strong.  Many  of  the  women  volunteered 
to  help,  and  the  hardy  Lothian  farmers  came 
with  their  shaggy  horses  to  help  in  the 
national  work.  All  worked  day  and  night 
with  such  furious  energy,  that  in  an  incredibly 


90  Old  Edinburgh 

short  time  the  city  was  entirely  enclosed 
within  the  strong,  high  "  Flodden  Wall," 
which,  with  its  ports,  battlements,  and 
towers,  bade  defiance  to  "  our  auld  inymis 
of  England."  This  lesson  was  long  remem- 
bered by  the  Edinburghers,  and  for  more 
than  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  after 
hardly  a  house  arose  beyond  the  shelter  of 
the  City  Walls.  The  ancient  town  thus  grew 
in  one  direction  mainly,  skyward,  and  from 
this  restriction  of  space  originated  the  tower- 
ing houses,  or  "  lands,"  as  they  were  called. 

It  happened  very  fortunately  for  the  city 
at  this  time,  that  Henry  VIII.  had  so  many 
troubles  of  his  own,  by  reason  of  his  war  with 
France,  that  he  was  unable  to  follow  up  his 
great  advantage  gained  at  Flodden.  Queen 
Margaret  now  assumed  the  Regency  in  name 
of  the  infant  James  V.,  and  appealing  as  a 
sister  to  the  generosity  of  King  Henry, 
secured  a  temporary  peace  between  the  two 
countries. 

The  Queen  lost  the  support  of  her  leading 
noblemen  by  a  foolish  act.  After  giving 
premature  birth  to  a  posthumous  son,  she 
within  three  months  suddenly  married  Archi- 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts          91 

bald  Douglas,  Earl  of  Angus,  who  was  several 
years  her  junior.  By  so  doing  she  was  de- 
clared to  have  lost  her  authority,  so  John, 
Duke  of  Albany,  nephew  of  James  III.,  came 
from  France  in  response  to  a  request  from 
the  Council,  and  was  declared  Regent.  From 
his  long  residence  in  France,  Albany  had 
practically  become  a  Frenchman,  and  his 
influence  is  shown  in  the  approach  of  Scottish 
architecture  of  this  period  to  the  French 
style,  while  many  French  customs  were 
adopted. 

He  was  unable,  however,  to  control  the 
turbulent  Scots  from  indulging  in  their 
frequent  factional  warfare,  and  in  particular 
those  lively  individuals  the  Douglases  and 
the  Hamiltons,  who  by  their  fierce  animosity 
towards  each  other  kept  the  town  in  an  almost 
constant  uproar.  When  these  amiable  gentle- 
men came  into  town  armed  to  the  teeth, 
each  party  eager  to  indulge  in  their  favourite 
pastime  of  inflicting  various  anatomical 
damages  on  the  other,  all  peaceable  citizens 
fled  in  terror.  Barring  their  doors  and  the 
entrances  to  the  closes,  they  waited  until  the 
storm  had  blown  over  for  the  time  being. 


92  Old  Edinburgh 

One  of  the  fiercest  of  these  street-fights, 
or  "  tulzies,"  has  come  down  to  us  in  history 
under  the  name  of  "  Cleanse  the  Causey  " 
(causeway).  It  was  so  called  because  the 
battle,  as  it  might  be  correctly  termed,  took 
place  in  the  High  Street,  which  was  deserted 
by  all  save  the  actual  combatants  instantly 
when  the  fight  commenced. 

The  dispute  was  between  the  Douglas  and 
the  Hamilton  factions.  The  Earl  of  Arran, 
head  of  the  Hamiltons,  who  had  been  Provost 
of  Edinburgh  for  the  previous  year,  sought 
the  office  again  for  the  power  it  would  give 
him  over  his  rival,  Earl  Angus  of  the  Douglas 
faction.  The  citizens,  however,  disliked 
Arran,  and  favoured  the  Douglases. 

In  April,  1515,  the  rival  actions  met  in 
Edinburgh  whither  they  had  come  to  push 
their  respective  claims,  and  at  once  a  bloody 
conflict  ensued.  Earl  Angus  put  himself  at 
the  head  of  his  Douglases,  who,  while  not 
numerous,  formed  in  a  compact  body  in  the 
High  Street.  They  were,  however,  the 
favourites  of  the  townspeople,  who  handed 
from  their  windows  spears  to  those  who  were 
not  armed  with  that  useful  weapon.  Soon 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts          93 

the  Hamiltons  came  swarming  up  from  the 
Cowgate  through  the  narrow  lanes,  and 
entering  the  High  Street  in  separate  streams 
were  at  great  disadvantage,  being  besides 
armed  with  swords  only,  which  were  no 
match  for  the  long  spears  of  the  Douglases. 
In  a  short  time  the  Hamiltons  were  put  to 
rout,  many  of  them  being  killed.  Their 
leader,  the  Earl  of  Arran,  and  his  son,  barely 
managed  to  make  their  escape  through  the 
North  Loch,  "  mounted  on  a  coal  horse." 

James  V.,  "  King  of  the  Commons  "  as  he 
was  afterward  called,  from  his  fondness  for 
wandering  about  in  disguise  among  his  people 
and  mingling  with  them  as  one  of  themselves, 
was  crowned  September  2ist,  1515,  at 
Stirling.  During  his  long  minority,  Edin- 
burgh was  the  constant  scene  of  riot  and 
bloodshed  from  the  savage  contentions  of 
the  feudal  lords  and  their  followers.  Our 
friends  the  Douglases  and  the  Hamiltons 
continued  to  be  the  chief  offenders  in  this 
respect. 

So  constant  were  their  street-fights,  that 
the  Provost  was  voted  by  the  Town  Council 
an  increase  in  salary  and  a  perpetual  guard 


94  Old  Edinburgh 

of  four  men  armed  with  halberts  to  keep 
peace  within  the  town.  This  force,  it  is 
needless  to  say,  made  not  the  least  impression 
on  the  combatants,  and  it  would  seem  that 
the  lawless  Douglases  were  really  the  rulers 
of  the  town.  Men  might  commit  murder 
upon  murder,  and  provided  they  were  under 
the  protection  of  the  Douglases,  could  defy 
the  law  with  impunity,  their  freedom  being 
in  no  way  restricted. 

The  King,  although  placed  for  safety  in 
the  Castle,  was  allowed  some  liberty,  and 
occasionally  resided  at  Craigmillar  or  Dal- 
keith  when  the  town  and  neighbourhood 
were  temporarily  peaceful.  These  quiet 
intervals  corresponded  generally  to  the  time 
required  for  the  recovery  of  the  vanquished 
in  the  last  factional  encounter.  As  soon  as 
their  wounds  allowed,  and  with  the  arrival 
of  fresh  recruits,  the  feud  would  proceed 
merrily  on. 

When  James  had  reached  the  mature  age 
of  twelve,  the  Douglas  party,  who  still 
retained  control  of  the  royal  person,  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  they  could  work  their 
schemes  to  greater  personal  advantage  if  he 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts          95 

was  invested  with  full  royal  powers.  Ac- 
cordingly this  was  done,  and  on  the  2  ad  of 
August,  1524,  the  King  "  maid  his  solempnit 
entree  with  the  lordis  in  the  Tolbuyth  of 
Edinburgh,  with  sceptour,  crown,  and  sword 
of  honour."  The  townspeople  hailed  him 
with  delight,  thinking  that  now  would  come 
a  change,  and  that  anarchy  would  be  crushed. 

The  Douglases,  however,  through  the  Earl 
of  Angus,  seized  the  government,  keeping 
such  close  watch  over  the  King,  and  so 
influencing  him,  that  he  was  but  a  puppet  in 
their  hands.  They  went  too  far  it  seems, 
when  one  of  them  said  to  him,  "  Do  not 
think  that  we  will  ever  let  you  get  out  of  our 
hands ;  we  would  see  you  torn  to  pieces  first." 

This  brutal  unmasking  of  the  Douglas 
designs  by  the  remark  quoted,  awoke  in  the 
mind  of  the  young  King  a  firm  resolve  to 
escape  from  their  power,  and  he  managed 
this  with  much  ingenuity.  While  at  Falkland 
Palace  some  time  later,  he  formed  a  habit  of 
riding  forth  on  early  morning  hunts.  When 
these  had  become  so  common  as  to  allay  all 
suspicion,  he  suddenly  one  morning,  with  but 
two  attendants,  spurred  on  to  Stirling  Castle 


96  Old  Edinburgh 

and  freedom.  His  hunting  activities  now 
became  directed  in  the  direction  of  the 
Douglases,  who  within  half  a  day  were 
declared  outlaws. 

James  went  on  to  Edinburgh,  and  with 
remarkable  vigour  and  decision  considering 
his  years,  took  up  the  government  of  his 
kingdom.  He  pursued  the  lawless  nobles 
with  such  stern  determination  to  end  their 
piracy,  that  his  vigorous  action  filled  even 
these  seasoned  and  hardy  malefactors  with 
a  lively  terror.  His  impartial  justice  to 
noble  and  commoner  made  James  popular 
with  all.  The  Douglases  were  the  only  ex- 
ception, and  them  he  pursued  with  unre- 
lenting hatred,  which  perhaps  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  also,  that  about 
this  time  the  King  assembled  at  Edinburgh 
an  army  of  twelve  thousand  nobles  and  their 
followers  for  the  famous  hunting  match 
against  the  Border  raiders.  The  nobles  were 
directed  to  bring  their  hawks  and  hounds 
with  them,  that  the  King  might  refresh  him- 
self with  sport  during  the  intervals  of  military 
execution. 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts          97 

With  this  array  he  scoured  Ettrick  Forest 
and  dealt  summary  justice  to  the  Border  gen- 
try, a  great  number  of  whom  were  hanged. 
Among  the  most  noted  of  those  so  dealt  with 
was  Johnnie  Armstrong  of  Gilnockie,  famous 
in  Scottish  song. 

James  had  now  arrived  at  the  conclusion 
that  it  was  time  for  him  to  negotiate  a 
matrimonial  alliance,  and  set  sail  for  France 
with  a  large  fleet  and  an  imposing  retinue. 
Arriving  at  the  French  Court,  he  speedily 
wooed  and  won  the  Princess  Magdalene, 
eldest  daughter  of  Francis  I.,  King  of  France. 
The  marriage  took  place  January  ist,  1537, 
despite  the  fact  that  Magdalene  was  far  gone 
in  consumption.  She  and  James  had  fallen 
so  deeply  in  love  with  one  another,  that  as  a 
French  historian  says,  "  nothing  else  could 
be  done  but  let  them  wed." 

On  the  2  pth  of  May  following,  King  and 
Queen  landed  at  Leith  amid  general  rejoicing. 
The  young  Queen  was  of  a  most  affectionate 
and  gentle  nature ;  she  appears  to  have  given 
"  her  hand  with  her  heart  in  it  "  to  her  royal 
lover  with  a  tender  spirit  of  trustful  resigna- 
tion. As  she  first  stepped  on  the  Scottish 


98  Old  Edinburgh 

soil  at  Leith,she  knelt  and  kissed  the  ground, 
with  a  prayer  for  the  happiness  of  her  future 
home  and  its  people. 

While  the  citizens  were  making  their 
preparations,  the  King  and  Queen  tarried  at 
the  Palace  of  Holyrood.  The  state  entrance 
to  the  capital  of  the  royal  pair  was  an  event 
of  great  magnificence.  Queen  Magdalene, 
the  fair  "  Lily  of  France,"  who  so  quickly 
faded  in  the  chilly  air  of  her  northern  king- 
dom, inspired  in  the  people  a  feeling  of  warm 
regard  by  her  gentleness,  her  beauty,  and  her 
great  piety.  Perhaps  no  Queen  of  Scotland 
was  ever  so  affectionately  considered  as  she, 
and  at  her  death,  within  the  brief  space  of 
six  weeks  after  her  arrival,  the  sorrow  of  the 
nation  was  deep  and  sincere. 

She  was  buried  in  the  Church  of  Holyrood 
House,  with  the  greatest  mourning  ever  seen 
until  that  time  in  Scotland.  This  is  the  first 
instance  of  the  wearing  of  mourning  garb  by 
the  Scots,  and  "  Triumph  and  mirrines  was 
all  turned  into  deregies  (dirges)  and  soull 
massis  verrie  lamentable  to  behold."  Sir 
David  Lyndsay  makes  lament  in  his  "  De- 
ploratioun  of  the  Deith  of  Quene  Magdalene," 


JAMES    V,    KING   OF    SCOTLAND. 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts          99 

which  is  addressed  to  that  "  Theif !  —  Crewell 
Deith." 

There  is  no  reason  to  doubt  the  sincere 
attachment  of  James  to  his  Queen,  yet  very 
shortly  after,  for  reasons  of  state  policy  he 
married  Mary  of  Lorraine,  daughter  of  the 
Duke  of  Guise,  and  widow  of  the  Duke  de 
Longueville.  In  June,  1538,  Mary  of  Guise, 
who  was  to  play  so  prominent  a  part  in  the 
history  of  Edinburgh  and  of  the  kingdom  as 
well,  arrived  in  Scotland.  "  On  Sanct 
Margaretis  day  "  she  made  her  state  entry 
into  the  capital  with  every  show  of  welcome, 
for  "  the  Queine  was  richlie  rewairdit,  and 
propyned1  by  the  proveist  and  tounschip, 
both  with  gold  and  spyces,  wynes,  and  curious 
playes  made  to  her  by  the  said  toun."  "  Her 
Grace  come  in  first  at  the  West  Port,  and 
raid  down  the  Hie  Gait  to  the  Abbay  of 
Halyrudhous." 

As  the  result  of  these  marriages,  the 
French  influence  in  building,  dress,  and 
habits  became  more  noticeable  than  ever. 
A  number  of  the  French  attendants  of  both 
Queens  Magdalene  and  Mary  had  settled 

x  Presented. 


100  Old  Edinburgh 

permanently  in  Scotland,  with  civilizing 
effect  upon  the  manners  of  their  neighbours. 
It  will  be  remarked  in  this  connection  that  at 
the  present  day  it  is  not  at  all  uncommon  to 
meet  in  Scotland  faces  of  types  distinctly 
French. 

Edinburgh  was  now  busy  and  prosperous. 
The  houses  erected  during  this  period  dis- 
played much  architectural  beauty,  and  Edin- 
burgh became  a  most  picturesque  and  roman- 
tic city.  Later  on,  the  strictures  of  religion 
forbade  all  display  or  architectural  orna- 
ment as  sinful  vanity.  But  now  was  the  time 
of  crow-stepped  gables,  quaint  windows  with 
tiny  panes,  and  picturesque  wooden  galleries 
fronting  the  "  Hie  Gait,"  from  which  the 
worthy  burghers  could  converse  with  their 
neighbours.  Some  of  the  houses  had  fronts 
of  polished  ashlar,  while  others  were  wooden- 
fronted,  and  all  bore  more  or  less  elaborate 
ornamentation  in  the  way  of  carving  and 
other  embellishment. 

James  V.  sought  in  all  ways  to  make  his 
town  beautiful,  and  his  taste  in  architecture 
was  sound.  As  the  population  grew,  we  meet 
with  the  towering  houses  for  which  Edin- 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts        101 

burgh  was  noted.  Some  of  these  were 
fourteen  and  fifteen  stories  high,  and  as  they 
reared  upward  in  overhanging  stories,  the 
topmost  windows  on  either  side  of  the  narrow 
closes  became  so  neighbourly  that  friends 
could  sit  at  their  respective  windows  in 
pleasant  converse.  They  were  even  so  near 
that  worthy  citizens  on  the  topmost  floor 
while  smoking  their  "  yards  of  clay "  at 
their  windows  in  the  pleasant  summer  eve- 
nings, could  clink  their  tankards  "  o'  guid 
Scots  brew  "  with  a  crony  across  the  way. 

Many  of  these  houses  with  their  overhang- 
ing stories  gave  an  alarming  impression  of  in- 
stability, apparently  defying  most  brazenly 
all  laws  of  gravity.  Years  afterward,  an  old 
inhabitant  who  had  lived  all  his  life  on  the 
topmost  floor  in  one  of  the  most  "  ticklish  " 
looking  of  these  structures,  was  asked  during 
a  violent  gale  if  he  did  not  fear  that  the  house 
would  topple  over.  The  startled  visitor  who 
made  the  inquiry  found  the  old  structure 
rocking  like  a  ship  at  sea,  but  the  ancient 
made  calm  answer;  "  Afeard?  "  said  he, 
"  no*  me!  The  hoose  was  built  afore  Sir 
Isaac  Newton  invented  graivity,  but  the  lad 


102  Old  Edinburgh 

who   built    it   kent  o'    something  juist   as 
guid." 

A  great  improvement  was  made  in  the 
High  Street  in  1532,  when  it  was  first  paved 
by  one  Merlin,  a  Frenchman:  — 

"  Merlin,  who  laid  Auld  Reekie's  causey, 
And  made  her  o'  his  wark  richt  saucy." 

This  "  wark  "  included  the  levelling  of  the 
High  Street,  and  thus  the  famous  "  Crown  o' 
the  Causey  "  disappeared  for  ever.  To  under- 
stand the  improvement  effected,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  picture  the  High  Street,  from  its 
great  traffic,  as  a  quagmire  composed  of 
every  imaginable  kind  of  refuse,  with  a  ridge 
or  "  crown  "  in  the  middle  of  the  street, 
which  afforded  the  only  desirable  passage 
along  the  ancient  thoroughfare.  We  cannot 
wonder  that  the  right  to  the  "  crown  "  was 
so  vigorously  asserted  by  pedestrians,  for  to 
be  forced  from  its  refuge  meant  a  plunge  into 
a  bog  of  miscellaneous  filth. 

Along  the  High  Street  it  was  the  custom  for 
the  tradespeople  to  occupy  the  ground  floor 
of  the  houses,  while  their  picturesque  sign- 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts        103 

boards  gave  token  of  their  calling.  The 
upper  classes  of  society  resided  on  the  upper 
floors  of  these  houses,  and  the  "  closes " 
were  especially  favoured  by  them  as  affording 
a  greater  degree  of  exclusiveness.  All  these 
"  lodgings  "  were  densely  populated,  and  the 
High  Street  was  fast  becoming  a  veritable 
human  ant-hill.  The  craftsmen  of  the  city 
were  becoming  noted  for  their  work,  and 
an  Edinburgh  armourer  of  this  period  was 
held  to  be  equal  in  skill  to  any  of  the  most 
renowned  of  other  countries.  Robert  Borth- 
wick,  in  his  foundry  beneath  the  Castle  Rock, 
was  making  cannon  and  other  warlike  gear 
of  much  repute,  the  King  being  his  most  lib- 
eral patron. 

At  this  time  there  were  nine  "  ports " 
giving  entrance  or  exit  to  and  from  the  city. 
The  Nether-Bow  Port  was  chief  in  impor- 
tance, and  had  strong  towers.  It  stood 
guard  just  beyond  where  is  now  John  Knox's 
house,  and  marked  the  line  between  the 
Burgh  of  Canongate  and  the  Capital.  The 
other  "  ports  "  were  the  West  Port,  Grey- 
friars,  or  Bristo  Port,  St.  Leonard's  Port, 
Potterrow  Port,  Cowgate  Port,  College  Kirk 


104  Old  Edinburgh 

Port,  the  Port  in  Halkerston's  Wynd,  and  the 
Port  in  Leith  Wynd. 

We  must  credit  James  V.,  in  addition  to  his 
other  good  works,  with  a  most  important 
improvement.  While  in  France  he  had  been 
forcibly  impressed  with  the  advantages  of  a 
permanent  Court  of  Law  in  the  capital.  The 
Scottish  custom  had  been  for  all  the  Courts 
of  Justice  to  travel  a  circuit,  and  many  were 
the  loud  complaints  by  litigants  at  the  delay 
in  the  course  of  the  law.  James,  by  his  efforts, 
effected  in  1532  the  permanent  location  of 
the  Courts  of  Session  in  Edinburgh,  and  it 
was  arranged  that  the  judges  should  perform 
circuit  duty  in  rotation. 

This  event  really  is  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant in  the  history  of  the  city.  It  made 
Edinburgh  much  more  prominent,  and  as  a 
place  where  redress  and  protection  could  be 
secured  against  the  tyrannical  feudal  nobility, 
the  city  entertained  a  greater  number  of 
visitors  than  ever  before,  to  the  manifest 
prosperity  of  the  citizens.  It  appears  that 
such  numbers  came  to  Edinburgh  on  various 
affairs,  that  the  butchers  and  bakers  had 
difficulty  at  times  in  furnishing  their  com- 


In  the  Time  of  the  Stuarts         105 

modities  in  sufficient  quantity.  It  was  thus 
ordained  that  bread  was  to  be  sold  on  Mon- 
day, Wednesday,  and  Friday;  while  meat 
was  to  be  had  on  Sunday,  Monday,  and 
Thursday. 

The  King  and  Parliament  continued  to 
regard  the  people  with  a  fatherly  solicitude. 
The  Sumptuary  Laws  which  we  have  men- 
tioned previously  in  the  time  of  James  I., 
were  re-enacted  and  made  even  more  strin- 
gent. None  were  allowed  to  wear  silk  except 
knights,  minstrels,  heralds,  or  those  of  £100 
yearly  income,  under  pain  of  a  fine  of  £20 
Scots,  and  the  confiscation  of  the  silk. 
Women  were  not  allowed  to  appear  "  mis- 
salit "  (masked  or  veiled)  at  "  kirk  or 
mercat."  The  "  taills  "  of  the  fair  sex  again 
were  regulated  as  to  length.  Sir  David 
Lyndsay,  in  his  "  Supplication  to  the  Kingis 
grace  in  Contemplatioun  of  Syde  (long) 
Taillis  "  says,  there  is  no  reason 


"  That  every  ladye  of  the  land 
Suld  have  hir  taill  so  syde  trailland 
Quhare  ever  thay  go,  it  may  be  sene, 
How  kirk  and  calsay  they  soup  clene." 


106  Old  Edinburgh 

Reference  to  these  "  tails  "  is  also  amusingly 
made  in  an  old  song :  — 

"  I'll  gar  our  guidman  trow  that  I'm  gaun  to  dee, 
If  he  winna  fee  to  me  twa  valets  or  three, 

To  beir  my  tail  up  frae  the  dirt,  an'  ush  me  through  the 

toun; 
Stand  about,  ye  fisher  jades,  an'  g'ie  my  goun  room." 

The  defeat  of  James's  splendid  army  at 
Solway  Moss  by  the  English  was  a  blow  from 
which  he  never  recovered.  A  week  later,  on 
the  1 4th  of  December,  1542,  he  breathed 
his  last.  His  faithful  friend  and  servitor,  Sir 
David  Lyndsay,  it  is  supposed,  directed  the 
imposing  funeral  ceremony  when  his  royal 
master  was  laid  at  rest  in  the  Church  of 
Holyrood  beside  his  dearly  beloved  first 
you/ig  bride,  the  "  Lily  of  France." 


MARY   OF    GUISE,   QUEEN    OF   JAMES    V. 


CHAPTER   V 

UNDER   MARY    OF    GUISE 

AGAIN  Scotland  was  to  suffer  all  the  evils 
of  a  long  minority,  to  which  were  added 
internal  discord.  When  the  news  of  the 
King's  death  reached  the  English  Court, 
Henry  VIII.  exclaimed,  "  Woe  is  me!  for  I 
will  never  have  any  King  of  Scotland  so  set 
to  me  again,  nor  one  whom  I  favoured  so 
well!  "  Still,  Henry  saw  a  great  opportunity 
which  he  was  not  slow  to  take  advantage  of. 
His  recent  success  at  Solway  Moss  had  placed 
in  his  hands  a  number  of  the  Scottish  nobility. 
These  he  now  secured  as  his  tools  by  giving 
them  their  freedom  and  many  costly  gifts. 

Henry  had  made  up  his  mind  to  a  marriage 
between  his  son  and  the  daughter  of  James  V. 
This  was  his  pet  project  to  bring  about  a 
union  of  the  two  Kingdoms,  but  the  Scots 
saw  in  this,  as  it  appeared  to  them,  the  loss 
of  their  independence,  and  declined  the 

107 


108  Old  Edinburgh 

alliance  which  was  really  a  solution  of  their 
political  difficulties. 

To  induce  a  reconsideration  of  his  proposi- 
tion, Henry  now  advanced  various  little 
arguments  in  the  way  of  fire  and  sword. 
Finally,  in  1544,  the  English  under  Hertford 
took  Edinburgh  and  burnt  it  to  the  ground, 
but  they  were  unable  to  capture  the  Castle. 
Such  were  the  persuasive  methods  of  "  bluff 
King  Hal  "  to  bring  about  his  favourite 
scheme  of  an  alliance. 

This  destruction  of  the  city  by  Hertford 
marks  an  important  era  in  the  history  of 
Edinburgh,  from  the  fact  that  few  buildings 
exist  older  than  the  date  of  this  fire  in  1544. 
Wilson  says,  "If  we  except  portions  of  the 
Castle,  the  churches,  and  the  north-west  wing 
of  Holyrood  Palace,  scarcely  a  single  building 
anterior  to  this  date  exists  in  Edinburgh." 

After  the  death  of  Henry  in  1547,  his  son 
Edward  VI.  again  sent  Hertford,  now  become 
Duke  of  Somerset,  to  Scotland  to  demand  a 
settlement  of  the  marriage  compact  which  it 
was  claimed  had  been  given  in  1543  by  the 
Earl  of  Arran.  The  Scots  again  refused,  and 
at  the  battle  of  Pinkie,  on  "  Black  Saturday," 


Under  Mary  of  Guise  109 

suffered  severe  defeat  at  the  hands  of  the 
English. 

The  Scots  had  decided  as  the  only  means  of 
putting  a  quietus  to  the  matrimonial  designs 
of  England  to  betroth  the  young  Queen  to 
the  Dauphin  of  France,  and  she  was  sent  in 
August,  1548,  to  that  country,  that  her 
education  might  be  pursued  among  more 
tranquil  surroundings  than  the  constant 
alarm  of  battle,  and  the  clash  of  arms. 

Her  departure  for  France  put  an  end  to 
Edward's  vigorous  efforts  to  gain  her  hand. 
The  Earl  of  Huntly  rather  dryly  remarked 
when  as  a  prisoner  he  was  asked  to  use  his 
influence  in  Edward's  favour,  "  that  how- 
ever he  might  like  the  match,  he  liked  not  the 
manner  of  wooing." 

Mary  of  Guise,  by  appealing  to  her  kins- 
men in  France,  had  obtained  material  assist- 
ance from  that  country.  Leith  had  become, 
by  reason  of  the  defences  constructed  by  the 
expert  French  military  engineers,  a  place  of 
importance,  and  many  Edinburghers  re- 
moved to  Leith  where  they  could  feel  safe 
under  the  protection  of  its  strong  garrison. 
One  good  result  may  be  said  to  have  come 


110  Old  Edinburgh 

about  through  these  last  invasions  of  the 
English.  It  taught  the  Scots  that  straw- 
thatched,  flimsy  dwellings  were  not  only 
behind  the  times  as  compared  with  other 
nations,  but  that  they  were  a  source  of  great 
joy  to  the  enemy  from  their  exceeding 
inflammability.  Solid  stone  houses  now 
became  the  vogue,  after  the  French  baronial 
style. 

The  brotherly  feeling  which  had  existed 
between  the  Scots  and  their  French  allies 
soon  came  to  an  end,  and  finally  the  latter 
came  to  be  regarded  in  a  no  more  friendly 
light  than  were  the  English.  The  more 
cultured  and  civilized  Frenchmen  could  not 
conceal  their  contempt  for  the  rough,  rude 
Scots,  and  the  fiery  temper  of  the  latter 
brooked  no  slights  nor  insults. 

The  Earl  of  Arran  had  been  Regent  since 
the  death  of  James  V.,  but  was  notoriously 
unfit  for  the  office.  Under  his  feeble  and 
inefficient  rule  Edinburgh  retrograded  to  the 
stage  when  our  old  friends  the  Hamiltons 
and  Douglases  made  things  lively  within  the 
town  almost  daily.  These  gentry  under 
Arran 's  slack  rule  again  became  boisterous, 


Under  Mary  of  Guise  HI 

being  assisted  by  other  sportive  spirits  like 
the  Kerrs  of  Lothian,  the  Scotts  of  Buccleugh, 
the  Crichtons,  the  Livingstones,  and  many 
others  in  their  pleasant  pastime  of  butchering 
one  another.  In  fact,  as  we  read  the  history 
of  the  time,  this  appears  to  have  been  their 
principal  occupation  and  amusement  as  well. 

When  the  Queen  Dowager  returned  from 
a  visit  to  France  in  1551,  strong  pressure 
finally  brought  the  Earl  of  Arran  to  resign 
the  regency  in  her  favour.  Mary  of  Guise, 
though  not  popular,  ruled  with  a  strong  hand. 
Under  the  penalties  of  heavy  fines  and  long 
terms  of  imprisonment,  the  gladiators  of  the 
High  Street  modified  their  turbulence  in  a 
marked  degree. 

As  a  result  of  the  spirit  of  religious  reform 
now  active  in  both  parties,  the  ancient 
festivals  and  games  were  ordered  to  be  done 
away  with.  It  was  enacted  that  the  annual 
sports  and  merry-making  of  "  Robin  Hood," 
the  "  Abbot  of  Unreason,"  or  "  Queen  of 
May "  should  not  be  held  under  severest 
penalties.  The  law  adds  "  if  onie  weomen  or 
others,  about  summer  trees  singing,  make 
perturbation  to  the  Queen's  lieges,  the 


112  Old  Edinburgh 

weomen  perturbatoures  sail  be  taken,  han- 
dled, and  put  upon  the  cuck-stules  of 
every  burgh  or  toune."  The  designation  as 
"  weomen  perturbatoures  "  certainly  is  not 
flattering  to  the  vocal  efforts  of  the  light- 
hearted  maidens  who  danced  about  the  May- 
pole, or  lilted  merrily  on  other  occasions. 
This  action  against  customs  which  had  long 
been  sanctioned  by  the  Romanists,  would 
seem  to  indicate  a  sort  of  uneasy  deference 
to  the  views  of  the  Reformers. 

Edinburgh  was  steadily  increasing  in  size 
and  importance.  Mary  of  Guise,  by  erecting 
her  splendid  Palace  —  which  long  stood  on 
the  site  now  occupied  by  the  Free  Church 
College  and  Assembly  Hall  —  aroused  the 
ambition  of  the  nobles  to  build  for  them- 
selves large  and  stately  mansions.  Some  of 
these  yet  in  existence  give  evidence  of  great 
former  magnificence. 

Knox  about  this  time  wrote  his  letter  to 
the  Queen  Regent  strongly  advising  reforma- 
tion in  the  Church,  but  this  was  received 
only  with  contempt  by  her.  Shortly  after 
this  he  accepted  a  call  from  an  English  con- 
gregation at  Geneva,  and  on  the  eve  of  his 


Under  Mary  of  Guise  113 

departure  was  summoned  before  the  Church 
Council.  As  he  took  no  notice  of  their 
summons  he  was  condemned  as  a  heretic  and 
at  the  City  Cross  was  burnt  in  effigy.  Knox 
left  Edinburgh,  but  the  Protestant  leaven 
continued  to  work.  During  his  absence  in 
Geneva,  the  Reformed  party  under  the  able 
direction  of  his  associates  whom  he  had 
entrusted  with  the  control  of  affairs,  waxed 
in  power.  As  the  doctrines  of  reform  spread 
among  the  people,  they  began  to  show  their 
zeal  by  destroying  the  carvings  and  images 
of  the  churches  and  monasteries. 

It  was  an  ancient  annual  custom  for  the 
clergy  to  walk  in  imposing  procession  on  the 
ist  of  September,  the  festival  day  of  St. 
Giles,  the  patron  saint  of  the  town.  In  1558, 
however,  before  the  day  arrived,  a  mob 
entered  the  church  and  carried  off  the  image 
of  the  saint  which  was  usually  borne  by  the 
priests  in  the  procession.  The  "  image  of 
Saint  Giles  "  was  dragged  ignominiously  to 
the  Nor'  Loch  —  the  favourite  place  for 
ducking  all  offenders  against  the  Seventh 
Commandment  —  and  after  being  "  droonit," 
was  committed  to  the  flames. 


114  Old  Edinburgh 

When  it  was  found  to  be  missing  the 
greatest  confusion  prevailed,  and  the  bishops 
sent  orders  to  the  Provost  and  Magistrates 
either  to  get  the  old  St.  Giles,  or  to  furnish 
another  at  their  own  expense.  This  they 
refused  to  do,  and  in  answer  to  the  threats 
and  denunciations  of  the  clergy  quoted  the 
authority  of  the  Scripture  for  the  destruction 
of  "  idols  and  images."  The  scene  which 
followed  is  thus  described: 

"  The  priests,  resolving  not  to  permit  the 
day  to  pass  without  the  usual  celebration, 
borrowed  a  small  statue  of  the  saint  from  the 
Grey  Friars,  which  they  firmly  secured  with 
iron  clamps  to  the  '  fertorie  '  or  shrine  in 
which  it  was  usually  borne  aloft.  And  the 
more  fully  to  do  honour  to  the  occasion  and 
to  overawe  the  turbulent  populace,  the 
Regent  was  prevailed  on  to  grace  the  pro- 
cession with  her  presence. 

"  The  statue  was  borne  through  the 
principal  streets  of  Edinburgh  in  great  pomp, 
attended  by  the  canons  of  St.  Giles  Church 
and  all  the  chief  clergy  in  full  canonicals, 
with  tabrons  and  trumpets,  banners  and 
bagpipes.  The  Queen  Regent  led  the  ring 


Under  Mary  of  Guise  115 

for  honour  of  the  feast.  It  was  convoyed 
about,  and  brought  down  the  Hie  Street  to 
the  Canno  Cross  (St.  John's  Cross).  The 
Queen  Regent  dined  that  day  in  Sandy 
Carpentyne's  betwixt  the  Bowes.  When 
the  idol  returned  back,  she  left  it,  and  went 
in  to  her  dinner." 

The  presence  of  the  Regent  had  produced 
the  desired  effect  in  restraining  the  populace 
from  violence,  but  no  sooner  did  she  with- 
draw, than  "  the  Little  St.  Giles,"  as  they 
contemptuously  called  the  borrowed  statue, 
was  attacked  with  the  utmost  violence,  and 
speedily  shared  the  fate  of  its  predecessor. 
"  Immediately  after  the  Regent  entered  the 
lodging,  some  of  them  drew  near  to  the  idol 
as  willing  to  help  bear  him  up,  and  getting 
the  fertorie  on  their  shoulders  beganne  to 
shudder,  thinking  thereby  the  idol  should 
have  fallen.  But  that  chance  was  prevented 
by  the  yron  nailes.  Then  began  they  to  cry 
'  Down  with  the  idol!  down  with  it! '  and 
so  without  delay  it  was  pulled  down.  One 
took  St.  Giles  by  his  heels,  and  dadding 
(knocking)  his  head  on  the  causeway  left 
Dagon  without  head  or  hands,  exclaiming, 


116  Old  Edinburgh 

1  Fy  on  thee,  Young  St.  Giles,  thy  father 
would  have  tarried  four  such.'  Down  go 
the  crosses,  off  go  the  surplices,  round  caps, 
and  cornets  with  the  crowns.  The  Grey 
Friars  gaped,  the  Black  Friars  blew,  the 
Priests  panted  and  fled,  and  happy  was  he 
that  got  first  to  his  house." 

The  increasing  strength  of  the  Reforming 
party  caused  the  Regent  to  immediately  seek 
measures  for  its  suppression,  to  which  she 
was  urged  by  her  relatives  in  France.  By 
the  instructions  of  Knox,  the  Reforming 
party  had  organized  themselves  under  the 
name  of  the  Congregation.  Their  leaders 
were  called  "  The  Lords  of  the  Congregation," 
and  they  now  assumed  the  guidance  in  impor- 
tant movements  which  followed,  entering 
into  negotiations  and  treaties  like  a  sov- 
ereign power. 

The  Reforming  party  now  began  their 
work  of  destruction,  which  resulted  in  the 
ruin  of  nearly  all  the  finest  ecclesiastical 
structures  throughout  Scotland.  The  town 
authorities,  though  helpless  against  this 
tremendous  popular  uprising,  did  their 
utmost  to  restrain  the  violence  of  the  mob. 


Under  Mary  of  Guise  117 

They  entreated  the  "  Lords  of  the  Congrega- 
tion "  to  spare  the  churches  and  religious 
houses,  promising  that  the  former  would  be 
henceforth  used  for  Protestant  worship;  the 
latter  as  institutions  of  learning.  They  pro- 
tected St.  Giles  Church  by  a  guard  of  sixty 
men,  removing  for  further  security  the  beau- 
tiful carved  choir  stalls,  which  were  guarded 
in  the  Tolbooth. 

Still  their  efforts  were  of  little  avail  against 
the  great  wave  of  the  popular  movement. 
Upon  the  first  rumour  that  the  Earl  of  Argyll 
and  the  army  of  the  Congregation  were 
approaching  Edinburgh,  the  citizens  attacked 
the  monasteries  of  the  Black  and  of  the  Grey 
Friars  with  such  fury  that  nothing  was  left 
but  the  bare  walls. 

When  the  majority  of  the  Reformers  had 
gone  from  Edinburgh,  some  of  their  leaders, 
including  Knox,  remained,  and  the  request 
of  the  Regent  that  the  Church  of  St.  Giles 
be  again  used  for  the  service  of  the  Mass  was 
met  by  the  Lords  of  the  Congregation  with 
stern  refusal.  While  they  were  now  holding 
daily  services  in  the  Church,  the  French 
soldiers  —  acting  of  course  under  instructions 


118  Old  Edinburgh 

—  endeavoured  to  annoy  the  Reformed 
worshippers  as  much  as  possible  by  lounging 
and  promenading  in  the  large  open  space  of 
the  nave  while  Knox  was  preaching. 

Both  parties  now  diligently  prepared  for 
war.  The  Regent  had  received  aid  in  a  re- 
inforcement of  a  thousand  French  soldiers 
who  landed  at  Leith  in  August,  1559.  The 
Queen  set  them  at  work  strengthening  the 
defences  of  that  port,  and  entreated  the 
French  Court  to  send  her  further  assistance. 
Sharp  fighting  now  ensued,  and  while  both 
parties  were  anxiously  awaiting  their  prom- 
ised foreign  aid,  a  number  of  large  vessels 
were  seen  sailing  up  the  Forth.  The  French 
joyfully  hailed  them  as  the  long  looked  for 
French  fleet,  when,  to  their  consternation, 
they  raised  the  flag  of  England  and  promptly 
captured  their  transports  and  supply  ships. 
For  the  first  time  now  the  Scots  and  English 
fought  side  by  side.  Their  combined  forces 
with  the  experience  and  bull-dog  tenacity  of 
the  English  troops  were  too  much  for  the 
French,  who  were  gradually  driven  within  the 
walls  of  the  Leith  fortress,  there  to  endure 
the  horrors  of  famine. " 


Under  Mary  of  Guise  119 

The  health  of  the  Queen  Regent  in  the 
meantime  had  been  steadily  failing.  No 
doubt  this  decline  was  hastened  by  keen 
regret  over  her  action  in  allowing  the  policy 
of  the  Guises  to  prevail  against  her  better 
judgment.  It  is  said  that  as  her  end  drew 
near  she  retired  to  Edinburgh  Castle  and  sent 
for  the  Lords  of  the  Congregation  to  visit 
her.  As  an  illustration  of  the  dread  and 
suspicion  with  which  the  Guises  were  regarded 
in  Scotland,  the  Lords  thought  it  best  that 
they  should  not  go  all  together  "  for  fear  of 
some  Guisian  practice." 

They  held  converse  in  the  Castle  with  the 
dying  Queen  Regent,  who  received  them  with 
such  humility  and  kindness  that  they  were 
deeply  touched.  She  asked  their  forgiveness 
with  tears,  and  expressed  deep  grief  that 
matters  should  have  ever  reached  such  ex- 
tremities, saying  that  foreign  counsels  had 
wrongly  influenced  her.  On  the  next  day, 
the  loth  of  June,  1560,  her  troubled  regency 
was  ended.  The  Reformers  refused  to  allow 
her  to  be  buried  according  to  the  rites  of  the 
Catholic  Church,  so  her  body  was  placed  in  a 
lead  coffin  and  kept  in  the  Castle  until  the 


120  Old  Edinburgh 

following  October,  when  it  was  conveyed  to 
her  native  France. 

Peace  was  now  equally  desired  by  both 
parties,  and  very  shortly  after  the  Regent's 
death,  Cecil,  that  astute  diplomat  of  Queen 
Elizabeth,  arrived  in  Edinburgh.  By  the  skill 
of  Cecil  everything  desired  by  Elizabeth,  as 
well  as  the  main  interests  of  the  Congrega- 
tion, were  secured,  the  French  commissioners 
having  no  chance  against  the  wily  English 
diplomat.  On  the  i6th  of  July,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  terms  of  the  treaty  the  French 
departed  from  Leith,  and  thus  ended  the 
association  of  France  with  Scotland.  The 
sturdy  English  soldiers,  after  watching  them 
set  sail,  turned  their  faces  to  the  south  on 
their  march  homeward. 

By  this  time  the  ancient  town  had  become 
densely  populated  as  far  down  as  the  Nether- 
Bow,  and  it  began  to  be  a  question  of  how 
much  longer  Edinburgh  could  contain  her 
growing  population.  One  great  improve- 
ment, however,  had  been  made  by  the  form- 
ing of  a  fine  street  called  the  Cowgate  or 
Sou-Gait  —  said  by  some  to  derive  its  name 
from  cattle  having  been  driven  along  it  to 


Under  Mary  of  Guise  121 

the  pastures  of  St.  Leonards,  while  others 
assert  that  its  southerly  position  determined 
its  title.  This  had  been  a  glen  on  the  south 
side  of  the  city  "  ridge  "  through  which  ran 
a  small  stream  on  its  way  into  St.  Margaret's 
Loch.  This  "  wee  bit  burn  "  had  been  in- 
duced to  take  another  course,  the  marsh  had 
been  drained,  and  the  new  street  with  its 
fine  mansions  and  noble  tenants  became  one 
of  the  most  fashionable  of  the  town. 


CHAPTER   VI 
QUEEN  MARY'S  EDINBURGH 

ONE  of  the  most  thrilling  chapters  in 
the  history  of  the  world  is  the  age  of 
Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  which  might  also  be 
considered  the  climax  of  the  history  of  Scot- 
land. Queen  Mary  herself  is  the  most  promi- 
nent and  interesting  figure;  a  woman  about 
whom  so  many  pages  has  been  written,  and 
of  whom,  after  all,  our  knowledge  is  so  in- 
complete. But,  aside  from  Mary  as  the 
principal  character  on  the  historic  stage, 
there  was  raging  about  her  a  great  conflict 
in  which  her  tragic  career  is  but  an  incident. 
Edinburgh  at  this  time  was  at  the  zenith  of 
its  architectural  and  social  splendour,  ranking 
with  the  great  cities  of  the  world.  The  scenes 
within  its  walls  were  now  more  gay,  more 
dramatic,  more  tragical ;  and  its  people  more 
strongly  individual  and  characteristic.  There 
were  fine  foreign  ambassadors,  living  in 
122 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          123 

almost  regal  style,  and  English  diplomats, 
rich  and  powerful,  whose  duty  it  was  to 
press  the  secret  and  subtle  policy  of  the 
mighty  Queen  Elizabeth.  Foreign  courtiers 
and  their  followers  thronged  about  the  palace ; 
a  new  and  unusual  element,  gay  and  frivolous, 
yet  withal  not  so  easy  to  govern.  All  these 
brought  into  the  life  of  the  city  a  myriad  of 
conflicting  interests  to  add  to  the  already 
existing  fierce  contentions  of  turbulent  citi- 
zens and  the  lawless  feudal  nobility. 
Strongly  divided  religious  sentiment  in- 
tensified the  situation,  and,  furthermore, 
there  was  the  great  question  of  the  English 
succession  ever  in  mind.  All  this  made  an 
epoch  remarkable  in  history. 

The  streets  were  constantly  thronged  with 
excited  people  to  witness  splendid  processions 
and  pageants;  or  again  crowded  as  sudden 
tumults  and  deadly  fights  arose,  so  common 
at  the  time.  We  can  picture  the  beautiful 
young  Queen,  so  unused  to  the  poverty  and 
restrictions  of  her  gray  northern  kingdom, 
but  from  her  French  dowry  able  to  gratify 
her  love  of  the  pomp  and  splendour  to  which 
she  had  been  accustomed,  passing  through 


124  Old  Edinburgh 

the  High  Street  with  glittering  retinue;  the 
streets  and  windows  filled  with  spectators. 
But  she  also  provided  sadder  spectacles; 
sometimes  passing,  pale  and  anxious,  through 
lines  of  grim  and  hostile  faces;  and  again 
making  a  secret  journey  under  cover  of  the 
night,  which  only  was  sufficient  to  protect 
her.  Everything  in  Edinburgh  is  associated 
with  Queen  Mary,  and  there  is  hardly  an 
existing  old  house  of  authentic  antiquity 
which  has  not  some  tradition  connecting  it 
with  her  name. 

Sir  Walter  Scott's  unapproachable  descrip- 
tion gives  a  wonderfully  vivid  picture  of  the 
High  Street  at  this  time,  in  "  The  Abbot," 
when  Roland  Graeme  enters  the  city  under 
the  guidance  of  Adam  Woodcock.  Even  now, 
if  one  will  stand  at  the  Market  Cross  and  look 
about  him  with  a  little  imagination  in  his 
regard,  it  is  not  difficult  to  people  again  this 
noble  street  with  these  same  picturesque 
figures. 

"  The  principal  street  of  Edinburgh  was 
then,  as  now,  one  of  the  most  spacious  in 
Europe.  The  extreme  height  of  the  houses, 
and  the  variety  of  Gothic  gables,  and  battle- 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          125 

ments,  and  balconies,  by  which  the  sky-line 
on  each  side  of  the  street  was  crowned  and 
terminated,  together  with  the  width  of  the 
street  itself,  might  have  struck  with  surprise 
a  more  practised  eye  than  that  of  young 
Graeme.  The  population,  close  packed 
within  the  walls  of  the  city,  and  at  this  time 
increased  by  the  number  of  lords  of  the  King's 
party  who  had  thronged  to  Edinburgh  to 
wait  upon  the  Regent  Murray,  absolutely 
swarmed  like  bees  on  the  wide  and  stately 
street.  Instead  of  the  shop-windows  which 
are  now  calculated  for  the  display  of  goods, 
the  trades  had  their  open  booths  projecting 
on  the  street,  in  which,  as  in  the  fashion  of 
the  modern  bazars,  all  was  exposed  which 
they  had  on  sale.  And  though  the  com- 
modities were  not  of  the  richest  kinds,  yet 
Graeme  thought  he  beheld  the  wealth  of  the 
whole  world  in  the  various  bales  of  Flanders 
cloths  and  the  specimens  of  tapestry;  and 
at  other  places  the  display  of  domestic 
utensils  and  pieces  of  plate  struck  him  with 
wonder.  The  sight  of  cutlers'  booths,  fur- 
nished with  swords  and  poniards,  which 
were  manufactured  in  Scotland,  and  with 


126  Old  Edinburgh 

pieces  of  defensive  armour  imported  from 
Flanders,  added  to  his  surprise ;  and  at  every 
step  he  found  so  much  to  admire  and  to  gaze 
upon,  that  Adam  Woodcock  had  no  little 
difficulty  in  prevailing  on  him  to  advance 
through  such  a  scene  of  enchantment. 

"  The  sight  of  the  crowds  which  filled  the 
streets  was  equally  a  subject  of  wonder. 
Here  a  gay  lady,  in  her  muffler,  or  silken 
veil,  traced  her  way  delicately,  a  gentleman- 
usher  making  way  for  her,  a  page  bearing  up 
her  train,  and  a  waiting  gentlewoman  carry- 
ing her  Bible,  thus  intimating  that  her  pur- 
pose was  towards  the  church.  There  he 
might  see  a  group  of  citizens  bending  the  same 
way,  with  their  short  Flemish  cloaks,  wide 
trowsers,  and  high-caped  doublets  —  a  fash- 
ion to  which,  as  well  as  to  their  bonnet  and 
feather,  the  Scots  were  long  faithful.  Then 
again  came  the  clergyman  himself,  in  his 
black  Geneva  cloak  and  band,  lending  a 
grave  and  attentive  ear  to  the  discourse  of 
several  persons  who  accompanied  him,  and 
who  were  doubtless  holding  serious  converse 
on  the  religious  subject  he  was  about  to  treat 
of.  Nor  did  there  lack  passengers  of  a  differ- 
ent class  and  appearance. 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          127 

"  At  every  turn,  Roland  Graeme  might 
see  a  gallant  ruffle  along  in  the  newer  or 
French  mode,  his  doublet  slashed,  and  his 
points  of  the  same  colours  with  the  lining, 
his  sword  on  one  side,  and  his  poniard  on  the 
other,  behind  him  a  body  of  stout  serving- 
men,  proportioned  to  his  estate  and  quality, 
all  of  whom  walked  with  the  air  of  military 
retainers,  and  were  armed  with  sword  and 
buckler,  the  latter  being  a  small  round  shield, 
not  unlike  the  Highland  target,  having  a  steel 
spike  in  the  centre." 

Here  now  begins  the  description  of  one  of 
the  fierce  street  fights,  or  "  tulzies,"  so 
common  at  this  time:  —  "Two  of  these 
parties,  each  headed  by  a  person  of  impor- 
tance, chanced  to  meet  in  the  very  centre 
of  the  street,  or,  as  it  was  called,  "  the  crown 
of  the  causeway  "  —  a  post  of  honour  as 
tenaciously  asserted  in  Scotland  as  that  of 
giving  or  taking  the  wall  used  to  be  in  the 
more  southern  part  of  the  island.  The  two 
leaders  being  of  equal  rank,  and,  most  prob- 
ably, either  animated  by  political  dislike  or 
by  recollection  of  some  feudal  enmity, 
marched  close  up  to  each  other  without 


128  Old  Edinburgh 

yielding  an  inch  to  the  right  or  the  left ;  and, 
neither  showing  the  least  purpose  of  giving 
way,  they  stopped  for  an  instant,  and  then 
drew  their  swords.  Their  followers  imitated 
their  example;  about  a  score  of  weapons  at 
once  flashed  in  the  sun,  and  there  was  an 
immediate  clatter  of  swords  and  bucklers, 
while  the  followers  on  either  side  cried  their 
master's  name:  the  one  shouting  "  Help,  a 
Leslie!  —  a  Leslie!"  while  the  others  an- 
swered with  shouts  of  "  Seyton!  — Seyton!  " 
with  the  additional  punning  slogan  "  Set 
on — set  on ;  bear  the  knaves  to  the  ground!  " 
During  the  sixteenth  and  the  early  part 
of  the  seventeenth  centuries,  the  streets  of 
Edinburgh  witnessed  frequent  and  often 
sanguinary  tumults.  As  the  capital  of  the 
kingdom,  the  usual  assembling  place  of 
Parliament  and  the  seat  of  the  courts  of 
justice,  and  also  as  the  principal  residence  of 
the  sovereign  or  of  those  who  held  the  royal 
authority  during  the  prolonged  minorities  of 
the  period,  Edinburgh  was  the  heart  of 
Scotland.  Therefore  to  the  city  came  those 
whose  affairs  or  inclinations  called  them  to 
Court,  or  to  Parliament,  or  to  appeal  to  the 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          129 

tribunals  of  the  country.  The  Old  Town 
was  thus  often  thronged  with  men  whose 
religious  and  political  variances  were  em- 
bittered by  personal  enmities  and  the  memory 
of  hereditary  feuds. 

The  power  of  the  Crown  was  practically 
defied  by  the  feudal  nobility,  who  settled 
their  differences  in  the  most  summary  man- 
ner, the  favourite  argument  being  generally 
cold  steel.  The  law  was  unable  to  restrain  the 
deadly  feuds  that  disgraced  the  times,  or  to 
suppress  the  common  practice  for  men  to 
revenge  their  own  quarrels.  A  chance  meet- 
ing on  the  streets  might  end  at  any  time  in  a 
fight  which  would  set  half  the  town  in  an 
uproar,  and  which  the  magistrates  and 
burghers  would  be  powerless  to  suppress  or 
to  punish.  Not  uncommonly,  also,  the  con- 
flicts of  rival  aspirants  to  the  supreme 
authority  raged  within  the  walls  of  the 
capital,  and  the  Castle  guns  held  by  one 
party,  carried  destruction  into  the  town  held 
for  the  time  by  the  other.  During  this 
period  the  High  Street  was  the  cockpit  of 
Scotland,  and,  as  previously  stated,  it  is  not 
exaggeration  to  say  that  this  throughfare 


130  Old  Edinburgh 

from  one  end  to  the  other  has  received  a 
baptism  of  blood. 

Reference  is  frequently  made  to  the  ab- 
duction or  "  ravishing  of  women  "  towards 
the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century,  illustrating 
the  lawlessness  of  the  times.  In  1593,  the 
beautiful  daughter  of  John  Carnegie  was 
twice  abducted  from  her  father's  house  in 
Edinburgh.  On  the  second  attempt,  which 
was  made  on  a  Sunday,  the  Lord  Hume  held 
the  High  Street  with  armed  men  until  the 
deed  was  accomplished. 

As  early  as  1428  the  Burgh  Council  issued 
an  order  on  all  the  neighbours,  merchants, 
and  tradesmen  to  have  "  lang  weapons  "  at 
hand,  and  to  assist  the  magistrates  in  the 
enforcement  of  order.  In  1552  the  Burgh 
renews  its  requirements  for  reason  of  the 
"  greitt  slauchteris  and  vthers  cummeris 
and  tuilzeis  done  in  tyme  bygane  within  this 
burgh,  and  apperandly  to  be  done  gif  na 
remeid  be  prouydit  thairfor  and  for  eschewing 
thairof."  In  1554,  for  reason  of  frequent 
robberies  on  the  streets  at  night,  the  Council 
orders  the  inhabitants  to  hang  out  lanterns 
or  "  bowets,"  on  the  streets  and  closes  from 
five  o'clock  until  nine  in  the  evening. 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          131 

If  the  reader  will  saunter  through  a  few  of 
the  closes  of  the  Old  Town  even  at  the  present 
day,  he  will  perceive  without  great  mental 
effort  what  a  happy  hunting-ground  they 
must  have  been  to  the  old-school  gentlemen 
of  the  road. 

The  Regent  Moray  says,  speaking  of  the 
condition  of  the  streets  in  his  own  time,  that 
they  "  would  shame  the  capital  of  the  Great 
Turk,  let  alone  that  of  a  Christian  and  re- 
formed state."  It  would  seem  that  a  quiet 
gentleman  from  the  country  coming  to  the 
Old  Town  for  a  few  days  diversion  during 
this  lively  period,  would  be  unlikely  to  suffer 
from  ennui  during  his  strolls  about  the  High 
Street. 

Mary  Stuart,  Queen  of  Scots,  was  born  at 
Linlithgow  Palace,  December  8th,  1542. 
When  the  news  of  her  birth  was  taken  to  her 
father  James  V.,  then  in  feeble  health  and 
sunk  in  profound  melancholy  —  the  result 
of  the  crushing  defeat  of  his  splendid  army 
by  the  English  —  he  shook  his  head  sadly 
and  muttered  the  gloomy  prophecy  regarding 
the  Scottish  Crown :  "  It  cam  wi'  a  lass,  and 
it  will  gang  wi'  a  lass."  He  recalled  in  his 


132  Old  Edinburgh 

mind  the  manner  of  the  coming  of  the  Crown 
into  the  Stuart  family  through  the  marriage 
of  Marjory,  daughter  of  Robert  Bruce,  to 
Walter  the  Steward  (father  of  Robert  II.), 
and  foresaw  that  Henry  VIII.,  with  but  one 
frail  life  between  him  and  the  Scottish 
throne,  would  not  hesitate  at  any  violence 
to  attain  his  object.  After  brooding  for  a 
week  longer  in  deepest  dejection  the  broken- 
hearted James  breathed  his  last. 

"  Puir  Mary  was  born  and  was  cradled  in  tears, 
Grief  cam'  wi'  her  birth,  and  grief  grew  wi'  her  years." 

A  chronology  of  the  important  events  in 
the  life  of  this  beautiful  and  unfortunate 
daughter  of  James  V.  may  be  of  interest  at 
the  beginning  of  her  history.  Mary  was 
crowned  at  Stirling,  gth.  September,  1543; 
taken  to  France,  1548;  married  to  the 
Dauphin,  1558;  became  Queen  of  France, 
1559;  a  widow,  1560;  returned  to  Scotland, 
1561;  married  Lord  Damley,  July,  1565; 
David  Rizzio,  her  secretary,  murdered  the 
9th  March,  1566;  her  son  (and  successor), 
James  VI.,  born  at  Edinburgh  Castle  igth 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          133 

June,  1566;  Lord  Darnley  murdered,  loth 
February,  1567;  Mary  married  the  Earl  of 
Bothwell,  1 5th  May,  1567,  and  was  com- 
pelled to  abdicate  in  favour  of  her  infant  son, 
July  24th,  1567.  She  was  made  prisoner  at 
Carberry,  i5th  June,  1567,  and  taken  to 
Lochleven  Castle  two  days  later.  From  here 
she  escaped,  lost  the  battle  of  Langside,  and 
fled  to  England,  1568.  She  was  beheaded 
on  the  8th  February,  1587,  at  Fotheringay 
Castle,  in  the  forty-fifth  year  of  her  age, 
almost  nineteen  years  of  which  she  had 
passed  in  captivity.  Had  ever  woman  a 
more  tragically  eventful  life? 

On  the  i  Qth  August,  1561,  Queen  Mary 
landed  at  Leith  attended  by  her  three  ma- 
ternal uncles,  Claude  of  Lorraine,  Rene, 
Marquis  d'Elbceuf,  and  Francis,  Grand  Prior 
of  Malta.  With  her  came  also  her  four 
Scottish  "  Maries,"  all  of  whom  had  been 
exiles  in  France  with  her  for  thirteen  happy 
years,  and  now  came  to  share  her  sorrows  in 
their  native  land.  The  Queen  and  suite, 
received  by  her  brother  James  Stuart  and 
other  nobles,  were  conducted  to  Holyrood 
with  great  pomp  and  ceremony :  — 


134  Old  Edinburgh 

"  Slowly  she  ambled  on  her  way, 
Amid  her  lords  and  ladies  gay ; 
Priest,  abbot,  layman,  all  were  there, 
And  Presbyter  with  look  severe  : 
There  rode  the  lords  of  France  and  Spain, 
Of  England,  Flanders,  and  Lorraine ; 
While  serried  thousands  round  them  stood, 
From  shore  of  Leith  to  Holyrood." 


Mary's  state  entry  into  the  capital  of  her 
kingdom  was  an  occasion  of  great  pomp  and 
splendour,  and  she  rode,  it  may  be  men- 
tioned, on  the  first  side-saddle  with  a  pommel 
ever  seen  in  Scotland.  Starting  from  Holy- 
rood,  the  imposing  retinue  moved  along  the 
"  Lang  Gait  " —  now  Princes  Street  —  wound 
around  the  Castle,  and  entered  the  city  by 
the  West  Port,  where  Mary  was  befittingly 
welcomed  as  Dowager  of  France,  Queen  of 
Scotland,  and  Heiress  of  England,  with  im- 
pressive ceremony.  Here  she  was  met  by  a 
grand  procession  headed  by  fifty  young  men 
of  the  city  disguised  as  "  blackamoors," 
masked  in  crape  and  wearing  gilded  manacles, 
as  token  that  they  were  her  perpetual  slaves. 
Members  of  the  Town  Council  with  worthy 
burghers  —  "  honest  nychtbours  " —  to  the 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          135 

number  of  sixteen,  gorgeously  arrayed  in 
velvet  gowns,  bore  aloft  a  purple  velvet 
canopy  with  a  lining  of  red  taffeta,  under 
which  the  fair  young  Queen  rode.  Such  a 
vision  of  youth  and  beauty  did  she  present 
that  many  exclaimed,  "  God  save  that  bon- 
nie  face." 

Through  the  Grassmarket  she  rode,  up 
the  steep  West  Bow  and  Castle  Hill  into  the 
fortress.  In  the  grand  old  banqueting  hall 
she  was  entertained  by  the  Scots  nobility  at 
a  splendid  collation,  French  confections  being 
prominent  among  the  goodly  fare.  Coming 
down  again  from  the  Castle  through  the  old 
"  Drawbridge  Entrance "  and  along  the 
Castle  Hill,  at  the  "  Butter  Tron  "  (where 
butter  and  cheese  were  weighed  and  sold, 
and  which  stood  at  the  head  of  the  West 
Bow) ,  her  progress  was  halted :  — 

"  By  ane  port  (gate)  maid  of  timber  in  the 
maist  honourabil  maner,  colourit  with  fine 
colours,  and  hung  with  sundry  arms,  upon 
the  quhilk  (which)  "  port  "  were  singand 
certaine  bairnes  in  ye  maist  hevenlie  wyse. 
Under  ye  port  was  ane  elude  (cloud),  opening 
with  four  leaves  in  ye  middis  (midst) ,  and  in 


136  Old  Edinburgh 

quhilk  was  put  ane  bonnie  bairn.  When  ye 
Quene's  Hieness  was  coming  through  ye  said 
port,  ye  elude  openit,  and  ye  bonnie  bairne 
discendit  as  if  it  had  been  ane  angel,  and 
deliverit  to  Her  Hieness  ye  keyes  of  ye  towne, 
togidder  with  ane  Bible  and  Psalm  Buke 
coverit  with  fine  purpour  velvet."  After 
reciting  some  congratulatory  verses  to  the 
Queen,  "  the  bairn  retumit  to  its  place,  and 
the' elude  steekit," — i.  e.  the  cloud  closed. 
The  Bible  and  the  Psalter,  it  is  said,  were 
gifts  of  special  significance,  being  received  by 
Mary  with  poorly  concealed  annoyance.  John 
Knox  witnessed  this  occurrence,  and  records 
in  his  History,  that  upon  the  Bible  being 
presented  to  her  and  the  praise  thereof 
declared,  she  frowningly  passed  it  to  one  of 
her  attendants,  who  was  a  devout  Papist. 

At  the  Town  Cross  in  the  High  Street,  a 
little  further  on,  the  Queen  was  received  by 
"  four  fair  Virgins  clad  in  maist  hevenlie 
clothing,"  who  expounded  to  her,  at  some 
length,  various  points  in  Reformed  theology, 
upon  which  subject  doubtless  Mary's  infor- 
mation was  very  limited.  The  city  fountain 
played  crimson  streams  of  wine  in  place  of 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          137 

water,  and  the  people  thronged  to  drink  the 
health  of  their  beautiful  young  Queen  in  glass 
goblets,  which  they  immediately  shattered 
by  thousands  on  the  pavement  that  they 
might  not  be  demeaned  by  any  further  use. 
So,  with  the  thunder  of  the  Castle  guns,  the 
acclamations  of  her  loyal  subjects,  and  the 
crashing  of  glasses,  Mary  passed  triumphantly 
down  the  High  Street  through  the  Nether- 
Bow  Port,  and  returned  to  her  Palace  of 
Holyrood. 

From  her  Castle,  Queen  Mary's  eye  would 
rest  upon  a  vast  stretch  of  land  and  water. 
In  the  valley  at  her  feet,  just  beneath  the 
Castle  crags,  was  the  lake  called  the  Nor'  - 
or  North-Loch,  —  which  forming  a  natural 
moat,  constituted  one  of  the  defences  of  the 
Castle.  The  bed  of  this  lake  now  forms  the 
beautiful  Princes  Street  Gardens.  Across 
the  lake,  where  now  stands  the  New  Town, 
she  saw  a  few  straggling  humble  dwellings, 
and  an  expanse  of  rugged  moor;  here  and 
there  a  spire  pointed,  from  which  now  and 
again  floated  the  pensive  note  of  a  bell. 
Beyond  was  the  Firth  of  Forth,  gleaming  in 
the  sunlight,  bearing  on  its  bosom  Inchkeith 


138  Old  Edinburgh 

and  the  Isle  of  May ;  the  green  Ochils  and  the 
golden  fringe  of  the  Fifeshire  coast  in  the 
background.  On  the  western  horizon  loomed 
the  peaks  of  Ben  Ledi,  Ben  Lomond,  and 
Ben  Voirlich ;  sentinels  at  the  entrance  to  the 
Highlands.  The  southern  view  of  the  pano- 
rama showed  a  vast  wooded  expanse  termi- 
nating with  the  "  furzy  hills  of  Braid,"  and 
the  Pentlands  with  their  garb  of  heather. 

The  view  from  the  King's  Bastion  where 
the  curious  great  gun  known  as  Mons  Meg 
mounts  guard,  as  it  would  seem,  over  the  tiny 
chapel  of  the  saintly  Margaret,  is  said  to  be 
unsurpassed  in  Europe.  To  my  mind,  the 
view  from  what  is  called  "  Queen  Mary's 
Lookout  "  on  Stirling  Castle  wall,  is  a  pano- 
rama of  equal  magnificence;  less  rugged, 
and  perhaps  more  pleasing  to  the  eyes  of 
some.  We  can  imagine  that  the  unhappy 
Queen  often  longed  during  her  captivity  to 
view  again  these  fair  and  goodly  stretches  of 
her  restless  and  troubled  domain. 

The  Castle  as  it  now  appears  gives  little 
hint  of  its  magnificence  in  Queen  Mary's 
time.  The  portion  which  remains  to  us, 
however,  contains  some  of  the  Royal  Apart- 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          139 

ments.  In  this  ancient  palace  where  so  many 
sovereigns  have  lived  and  died,  the  mother  of 
Queen  Mary,  Mary  of  Guise,  widow  of  James 
V.,  and  Regent  of  Scotland,  drew  her  last 
breath,  after  a  pathetic  appeal  to  the  loyalty 
of  the  assembled  nobles  in  behalf  of  her 
young  daughter,  who  was  so  soon  to  come 
from  her  beloved  France  to  wear  the  Crown 
of  Scotland.  Here  subsequently  abode  Queen 
Mary  with  her  four  "  Maries,"  famous  in 
Scottish  song,  who  had  been  her  companions 
from  early  youth. 

Queen  Mary's  apartments  in  the  Castle,  as 
would  appear  from  the  records  of  the  Scottish 
Jewel  House,  were  furnished  with  great 
magnificence.  She  had  "  eleven  tapestries  of 
gilded  leather;  eight  of  the  Judgment  of 
Paris,"  five  of  the  "Triumph  of  Virtue;" 
eight  of  green  velvet  brocaded  with  great 
trees,  bearing  armorial  shields  and  holly 
branches;  ten  of  cloth  of  gold  and  brocaded 
taffeta ;  thirty  more  of  massive  cloth  of  gold ; 
one  bearing  the  story  of  the  Count  de  Foix; 
eight  bearing  the  ducal  arms  of  Longueville; 
five  having  the  history  of  King  Rehoboam; 
four  the  hunt  of  the  Unicorn ;  as  many  more 


140  Old  Edinburgh 

of  the  story  of  JEneas,  and  one  of  the  tale  of 
Tobit.  The  floors  were  of  polished  Scottish 
oak,  covered  with  sixteen  Turkey  carpets; 
the  massive  oaken  tables  were  beautifully 
carved;  and  the  chairs,  covered  with  gilded 
leather,  had  cushions  of  brocade  and  damask ; 
their  high  backs  bearing  a  carved  decoration 
of  the  royal  crown  and  cypher.  The  quantity 
of  cloth  of  gold  in  the  hanging  of  the  beds, 
and  in  the  decorations  of  the  apartments,  is 
amazing.  Mary  here  kept  also  her  little 
library  of  153  volumes.  These  were  her  con- 
stant companions,  and  their  selection  evinces 
how  superior  were  her  intellect  and  attain- 
ments to  those  of  the  preachers  and  nobles 
who  surrounded  her.  Her  books  were  bound 
and  ornamented  as  became  the  choicest 
possessions  of  so  dainty  and  cultured  a  Queen, 
many  of  them  being  clasped  with  gold,  and 
studded  with  precious  stones.  Throughout 
her  varied  career  they  proved  a  welcome 
solace. 

From  the  same  tiny  window  still  to  be  seen 
in  her  boudoir,  she  could  survey  the  ancient 
city  below,  which  held  more  foes  than  friends, 
and  look  down  upon  the  church  in  which 


JOHN    KNOX. 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          141 

John  Knox  thundered  forth  his  denunciations 
of  her.  "  Such  was  his  vehemence,"  says 
Melvil,  "  that  he  was  like  to  ding  the  pulpit 
in  blads  x  and  flee  out  of  it;  "  from  which  we 
infer  that  his  manual  attack  on  the  pulpit 
was  as  violent  as  his  verbal  onslaught  on  the 
Queen. 

We  can  readily  imagine  that  Mary  was  a 
manner  of  woman  not  at  all  comprehensible 
to  Knox.  Her  gaiety  and  vivacity,  her  light 
and  airy  archness,  with  the  innate  coquetry 
of  a  young  girl  bubbling  over  with  health, 
spirits  and  the  joy  of  living,  struck  him  as  the 
incarnation  of  the  idolatries  of  Rome  and  its 
teachings.  The  young  Queen  was  a  girl  of 
bright  and  lively  mind,  who  had  been 
brought  up  amid  the  surroundings  of  a  gay 
and  frivolous  French  court.  She  contrasted 
strongly,  no  doubt,  with  the  idea  of  Scottish 
propriety  at  this  time,  for  women  were  ex- 
pected in  those  days  to  walk  most  circum- 
spectly and  soberly,  and  outward  lightness  of 
demeanour  was  frowned  upon  as  an  indica- 
tion of  moral  laxity. 

John  Knox,    "  he  who  never  feared  the 

1  Splinters. 


142  Old  Edinburgh 

face  of  man,"  assumed  from  the  first  a  stern 
mentorship  over  his  youthful  sovereign,  and 
lost  no  opportunity  of  attacking  her  religious 
belief,  or  of  upbraiding  her  for  her  seeming 
levity.  Religious  feeling  at  this  time  ran 
high.  As  an  illustration  of  the  changes 
brought  by  the  Reformation,  it  was  ordered 
by  the  Town  Council  that  the  figure  of  St. 
Giles  (called  "  the  Idol  "  by  the  Reformers) 
be  cut  out  of  the  city  arms,  and  the  Thistle 
substituted.  Many  riots  took  place  between 
the  following  of  the  rival  creeds,  and  while 
the  Reformers  demanded  freedom  of  worship 
for  themselves,  they  denied  the  Queen  this 
privilege.  As  she  was  unable  to  attend  a 
place  of  worship  in  the  town,  she  was  com- 
pelled by  stealth  almost,  to  have  Mass  cele- 
brated in  her  private  chapel  at  Holyrood. 
This  so  enraged  the  extremists,  that  once 
during  her  absence,  a  mob  led  by  a  town 
bailie  seized  her  chaplain,  Sir  James  Tarbat, 
dragged  him  to  the  Tolbooth,  and  placed  him 
in  the  public  pillory.  There,  clad  in  his  vest- 
ments, with  the  chalice  hanging  from  his 
neck,  he  was  charged  with  having  broken  the 
law  of  the  land.  The  Queen,  however,  being 


HENRY    STUART,   LORD    DARNLEY,    KING-CONSORT   OF 
SCOTLAND. 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          143 

notified,  came  to  his  rescue  and  ordered  the 
release  of  the  unfortunate  priest. 

All  this  time  Mary  was  employing  her  best 
efforts  to  conciliate  her  religious  opponents. 
She  always  rode  in  state  to  open  each  meeting 
of  Parliament,  and  was  a  frequent  guest  at  the 
house  of  some  one  of  the  prominent  citizens 
who  gave  banquets  in  her  honour.  She  also 
endeavoured  to  improve  the  rude  and  rough 
manners  of  the  times,  especially  at  the  public 
entertainments,  by  the  introduction  of  many 
French  customs. 

Mary,  having  fallen  desperately  in  love 
with  her  cousin  Henry,  Lord  Darnley,  eldest 
son  of  the  Earl  of  Lennox,  married  him  in 
rather  unseemly  haste.  There  seems  to  be 
much  difference  of  opinion  regarding  the 
personal  and  mental  gifts  of  Darnley;  some 
represent  him  as  having  a  handsome  face  and 
figure,  with  some  literary  ability,  and  a  writer 
of  graceful  sonnets.  Others  refer  affection- 
ately to  him  as  "  Darnley  the  Fool,"  from 
his  vacant,  almost  imbecile  expression  and 
awkward  gait.  It  is  proven  beyond  doubt, 
however,  that  his  predominating  traits  were 
viciousness  and  weakness  of  character. 


144  Old  Edinburgh 

On  July  2ist,  1565,  the  marriage  banns  of 
Mary  and  Darnley  were  proclaimed  in  the 
Canongate  Kirk,  thus  recorded  in  the  Parish 
Register:  "  Ye  quhilk  daye,  Johnne  Brand, 
Mynister,  presented  to  ye  Kirk  ane  writtin 
writin  be  ye  Justice-Clerk's  hand,  desyring 
ye  Kirk  of  ye  Canongait  and  Mynister  thairof 
to  proclaime  Harie,  Duk  of  Albayne,  Erie 
of  Roiss,  on  ye  ane  pairt,  and  Marie,  be  ye 
Grace  of  God,  Queene  of  Scottis,  Soverane  of 
this  Realme,  on  ye  ather  pairt.  The  quhilk 
ye  Kirk  ordains  ye  Mynister  so  to  do  wi. 
invocationne  of  ye  Name  of  God."  Under 
the  date  of  July  29th,  1565,  it  is  recorded  that 
the  banns  had  been  duly  published:  "  Harie, 
Duk  of  Albayne,  Erie  of  Roiss,  Marie,  be  ye 
Grace  of  God,  Queene  Soverane  of  this 
Realme  i.  2.  3."  Following  is  the  note, 
"  Mar.  in  ye  Chappell." 

On  July  28th,  1565,  Darnley  was  pro- 
claimed King  at  the  Edinburgh  Market 
Cross.  The  banns  in  the  usual  form  had 
already  been  published  in  the  Canongate 
Kirk,  and  on  Sunday,  the  following  day,  at 
five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  he  was  married 
to  the  Queen  by  the  Dean  of  Restalrig  in 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          145 

Holyrood  Chapel.  Among  the  Reformers 
the  marriage  excited  the  strongest  condem- 
nation. Knox,  on  learning  of  its  proposal, 
arraigned  the  nobles  and  leaders  of  the  Con- 
gregation for  betraying  the  cause  of  God  by 
their  inaction,  also  making  this  an  occasion 
for  a  most  scathing  denunciation  of  the 
Queen.  He  concluded  with  a  solemn  warn- 
ing against  the  royal  marriage,  and  the 
judgments  it  involved. 

This  freedom  of  speech  excited  general 
resentment,  and  Knox  was  summoned  before 
the  Queen.  He  appeared  at  Court  after 
dinner,  and  was  taken  to  her  cabinet  by  one 
of  the  superintendents  of  the  Kirk,  Erskine 
of  Dun,  but  the  presence  of  royalty  was  no 
restraint  to  the  fiery  preacher.  He  harangued 
her  boldly,  and  the  Queen  wept  as  she 
listened;  as  at  length  he  left  her  she  broke 
anew  into  passionate  weeping.  When  the 
grim  old  man  emerged  from  the  outer  cham- 
ber he  paused  in  the  midst  of  a  gay  throng  of 
ladies  of  the  Court,  and  leaning  on  his  staff, 
gravely  bantered  them  on  the  pity  that  the 
silly  soul  could  not  carry  all  those  fine  gar- 
nishings  with  it  to  Heaven.  Queen  Mary 


146  Old  Edinburgh 

dried  her  tears  and  took  no  further  notice  of 
the  interview,  but  as  Wilson  says,  "  Knox 
must  have  been  regarded  amid  the  gay 
haunts  of  royalty,  at  Holyrood,  like  the  skull 
that  checked  the  merriment  of  an  old  Egyp- 
tian feast." 

After  three  months  of  married  life,  Mary 
came  to  a  complete  realization  of  her  un- 
fortunate union.  She  discovered  in  Darnley 
a  vicious  weakling,  whose  low  amours  with 
the  most  abandoned  women  of  the  town 
speedily  changed  her  affection  for  him  into 
utter  loathing.  By  her  marriage  to  Darnley, 
she  had  alienated  from  her  Lord  James 
Stuart,  Earl  of  Moray,  upon  whom  she  had 
lavished  wealth  and  honours.  He  had  been 
her  valued  adviser,  but  was  now  a  fugitive  in 
England.  She  had  absolutely  no  friend  in 
her  need,  and  with  all  her  strong-mindedness 
in  some  respects  was  essentially  of  a  nature 
which  needed  support  in  time  of  stress.  In 
her  efforts  to  restore  Roman  Catholicism  she 
had  quarrelled  with  the  "  Protestant  Lords," 
the  Earls  of  Argyll,  Morton,  Rothes,  Glen- 
cairn,  and  others,  having  driven  them  from 
the  country.  There  was  not  even  among  the 


HENRY,    LORD    DARNLEY,   AND   MARY,   QUEEN    OF    SCOTS. 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          147 

civic  rulers  of  Edinburgh  one  who  had  any 
real  political  power  or  influence  to  whom  she 
could  appeal. 

At  this  stage  of  events,  Rizzio,  her  secre- 
tary, became  almost  wholly  her  counsellor, 
but  as  he  neither  understood  nor  was  in 
sympathy  with  the  character  of  the  Scots, 
his  advice  bore  evil  fruit.  Rizzio,  by  the  way, 
was  a  Piedmontese  of  pleasing  personality 
and  a  musician  of  some  note.  When  the 
Queen  took  him  into  favour  as  her  secretary, 
Darnley  professed  to  become  jealous,  and  in 
revenge  entered  into  a  compact  with  the 
Earls  of  Lindsay,  Morton,  Ruthven  and 
others,  to  remove  the  Italian  favourite. 
Darnley's  treacherous  character  was,  how- 
ever, well  known  to  these  lords,  and  before 
allowing  him  to  share  in  their  plot,  they 
compelled  him  to  sign  a  bond  whereby  he  was 
to  protect  them  from  all  consequences  of  the 
undertaking. 

On  the  evening  of  Saturday,  March  Qth, 
1566,  the  Palace  of  Holyrood  was  the  scene 
of  a  most  savage  and  terrible  tragedy.  What 
impresses  us  most  perhaps,  as  we  visit  the 
spot  where  this  crime  was  enacted,  is  not 


148  Old  Edinburgh 

the  weakness  of  the  beautiful  and  friendless 
woman  who  was  the  centre  of  this  intricate 
web  of  intrigue  and  crime,  but  the  savage 
spirit  of  the  times,  and  the  bloodthirsty 
treachery  of  the  men  by  whom  she  was 
surrounded. 

On  this  evening,  the  Queen  was  at  supper 
in  her  cabinet  at  Holyrood  House,  in  com- 
pany with  her  natural  sister  and  brother  — 
the  Countess  of  Argyll  and  Lord  Robert 
Stuart  —  Beaton  of  Creich,  Arthur  Erskine, 
and  David  Rizzio,  her  secretary.  While  they 
were  thus  engaged,  Darnley  conducted  a 
band  of  armed  assassins  into  his  apartments 
in  the  Palace  immediately  beneath  those  of 
the  Queen,  and  directly  communicating  with 
them  by  means  of  a  private  staircase.  Dam- 
ley,  alone,  ascended  first,  and  throwing  back 
the  tapestry  which  covered  the  doorway, 
entered  the  little  room  where  Mary  and  her 
guests  were  seated  at  the  supper  table.  He 
seated  himself  beside  her,  and  put  his  arm 
about  her  waist  in  feigned  affection;  a 
moment  later,  Lord  Ruthven,  a  man  of  tall 
stature  and  looking  almost  gigantic  in  a 
complete  suit  of  armour,  burst  into  the  room 


X  * 

"I 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          149 

with  menacing  aspect.  Pale  and  ghastly 
from  the  ravages  of  disease,  he  must  have 
appeared  more  like  a  steel-clad  spectre  than 
mortal  man. 

Small  wonder  that  the  Queen  started  up  in 
terror,  and  commanded  his  instant  retire- 
ment, but  in  the  outer  chamber  the  approach 
of  glaring  torches  made  it  plain  that  his  fel- 
low conspirators  were  near  at  hand.  Darnley, 
although  affecting  ignorance  of  this  strange 
invasion,  sat  glaring  with  venomous  hate  at 
the  intended  victim,  who.  with  intuitive 
perception  that  his  life  was  threatened, 
ran  behind  the  Queen,  and  crouching  there, 
wildly  besought  her  to  save  him.  Ker  of 
Fawdonside,  one  of  the  conspirators,  held  a 
cocked  pistol  at  her  breast,  threating  instant 
death  if  she  gave  any  alarm.  Darnley  at 
length  interfered,  and  as  he  grasped  her  in  his 
arms,  George  Douglas,  snatching  Darnley 's 
own  dagger  from  him,  struck  at  the  cowering 
Rizzio  over  the  Queen's  shoulder,  plunging 
the  blade  in  his  side  and  leaving  it  there. 

Rizzio  was  then  dragged  by  his  ruthless 
executioners  through  the  adjoining  chamber 
to  the  landing  of  the  great  staircase,  where 


150  Old  Edinburgh 

the  Earl  of  Morton  and  his  band  rushed  in  and 
finished  the  bloody  deed,  no  less  than  fifty- 
six  dagger  wounds  being  afterward  dis- 
covered on  the  body.  The  blood  stains  which 
mark  the  spot  where  the  unfortunate  fa- 
vourite breathed  his  last  are  still  shown  to 
the  credulous  visitor. 

To  prevent  any  possible  interference  with 
the  plan  of  the  conspirators,  the  Earl  of 
Morton,  with  one  hundred  and  sixty  fol- 
lowers, had  kept  guard  in  the  outer  court  of 
the  Palace  while  the  assassins  entered  to 
accomplish  their  murderous  intent.  He  was 
now  ordered  to  secure  the  Palace  gates,  and 
let  none  escape.  But  the  principals  in  the 
deed,  leaping  through  a  window  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Palace,  fled  aross  the  garden  and 
escaped  over  the  roof  of  a  curious  and 
picturesque  little  lodge  known  as  Queen 
Mary's  Bath,  which  is  still  existing. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  many  years 
ago,  in  making  some  repairs  on  this  building, 
a  richly  inlaid  dagger  of  antique  form  was 
found  sticking  in  the  sarking  of  the  roof. 
One  portion  of  the  blade  was  more  deeply 
corroded  than  the  rest,  as  it  might  be  from 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          151 

some  blood  that  had  remained  on  it.  The 
finder  described  the  ancient  weapon  "  as 
though  it  had  the  king's  arms  on  it  done  in 
gold,"  and  it  is  supposed  with  reasonable 
probability  to  have  belonged  to  one  of  the 
murderers,  who  are  known  to  have  escaped 
through  this  part  of  the  Palace  gardens. 

That  dark  night's  work  was  indelibly 
stamped  on  Mary's  memory,  and  her  words, 
as  she  dried  her  tears,  have  the  ring  of  fateful 
prophecy:  "  I  shall  weep  no  more,  but  will 
study  revenge." 

The  imbecile  Darnley  immediately  as- 
sumed the  regal  power,  dissolved  the  Parlia- 
ment, and  on  pain  of  treason  commanded 
the  Estates  to  at  once  depart  from  Edinburgh, 
meanwhile  keeping  the  Queen  a  close 
prisoner  in  her  apartment.  On  the  morning 
following  the  tragedy,  as  Sir  James  Melvil 
was  passing  out  by  the  Palace  gate,  the 
Queen  observed  him;  throwing  open  her 
window  she  begged  him  to  rouse  the  citizens, 
and  rescue  her  from  the  hands  of  the  traitors. 
When  the  news  was  spread,  the  common  bell 
sounded  the  alarm,  and  the  Provost  with 
some  hundred  armed  citizens  rushed  into 


152  Old  Edinburgh 

the  outer  court  of  the  Palace  demanding 
the  Queen's  release.  The  accomplices,  by 
most  violent  threats  to  "  cut  her  into  collops 
and  cast  her  over  the  wall  "  if  she  made 
outcry,  kept  her  from  the  window,  and 
Darnley,  appearing  in  her  stead,  assured 
them  that  he  and  the  Queen  were  well  and 
merry.  The  Provost  would  not  be  satisfied 
without  sight  of  the  Queen  herself,  but 
Darnley  on  his  authority  as  King  commanded 
them  to  disperse  at  once. 

The  Queen  soon  after  succeeded  in  sepa- 
rating her  husband  from  the  plotters,  and  in 
his  company  at  midnight  they  escaped  from 
the  Palace.  Together  they  fled  to  Seaton 
and  thence  to  Dunbar.  After  five  days  they 
returned  to  Edinburgh,  but  the  Queen  would 
not  again  return  to  the  blood-stained  pre- 
cincts of  the  Palace.  She  took  up  her  resi- 
dence temporarily,  so  tradition  states,  in 
the  "  Clam  Shell  Turnpike,"  the  "  house  of 
the  old  Bishop  of  Dunkeld,"  which  stood  at 
the  head  of  Bell's  Wynd.  Here  she  found 
with  her  faithful  and  zealous  adherent,  Lord 
Home,  a  peace  of  mind  which  a  visit  to  Holy- 
rood  would  have  rendered  utterly  impossible. 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          153 

There  the  gruesome  stains  upon  the  floor 
cried  aloud  for  justice  and  revenge. 

Mary  and  Darnley  returned  to  Edinburgh 
with  a  retinue  of  2,000  horsemen  who  had 
formed  part  of  the  Dunbar  army;  raised 
ostensibly  to  punish  the  murderers  of  Rizzio, 
but  in  reality  to  overawe  the  Protestants. 
The  soldiers  were  billeted,  or  lodged,  among 
the  citizens,  no  small  matter  when  thirty 
thousand  people  were  already  closely  con- 
fined within  the  narrow  limits  of  the  town. 
Says  the  "  Diurnal  of  Occurrents  ": 

"  Vpon  ye  xviij  daye  of  ye  said  moneth 
of  Merch,  our  soueranis  lord  and  ladie, 
accumpanijt  with  tua  thowsand  horssmen, 
come  to  Edinburgh,  and  lugeit  not  in  thair 
palice  of  Halyrudhous,  bot  lugeit  in  my  lord 
Home's  lugeing,  callit  ye  auld  bischope  of 
Dunkell  his  lugeing,  anent  the  salt  trone  in 
Edinburgh ;  and  the  lordis  being  with  thame 
for  ye  tyme,  wes  lugeit  round  about  thame 
within  ye  said  burgh." 

Mary  in  the  meantime  had  not  forgotten 
her  vow  to  avenge  the  murder  of  Rizzio. 
She  kept  her  word.  Her  first  action  was  to 
keep  her  imbecile  husband  from  the  other 


154  Old  Edinburgh 

conspirators  in  order  to  learn  their  plans. 
Next,  she  formed  an  alliance  with  one  of  the 
ablest,  yet  at  the  same  time  one  of  the  most 
reckless  and  profligate  nobles  of  her  Court, 
James  Hepburn,  Earl  of  Bothwell.  It  would 
seem  that  for  him  she  developed  a  most 
passionate  regard  which  she  made  no  effort 
to  conceal.  Bothwell,  from  what  we  know 
of  him,  was  a  bold  and  dashing  figure;  a 
man  to  attract  the  feminine  eye,  and  in- 
vincible with  women.  With  all  his  faults  he 
doubtless  appealed  to  Mary  as  a  gallant  and 
manly  character,  compared  to  the  worthless, 
miserable  Darnley. 

The  conspirators,  watching  her  every 
movement,  realized  that  they  were  in  deadly 
peril  and  fled  the  country.  The  time  of  her 
accouchement  had  arrived,  however,  and  she 
was  in  no  condition  to  strike  decisively. 
Retiring  to  her  apartments  in  the  Castle,  she 
there  gave  birth,  on  the  ipth  June,  1566,  to 
her  son — afterward  James  VI.  —  ten  months 
and  a  half  after  her  marriage  to  Darnley. 
Upon  the  announcement  of  the  birth  of  an 
heir  to  the  Crown  great  rejoicing  prevailed 
in  Edinburgh,  and  a  public  thanksgiving  was 


JAMES    HEPBURN,    EARL    OF    BOTHWELL. 
From  an  old  miniature.     The  only  authen  ic  portrait  known  to  exist. 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          155 

offered  up  on  the  following  day  in  the  Church 
of  St.  Giles. 

According  to  Bannatyne,  John  Knox's 
secretary,  Mary  was  delivered  with  great 
ease  through  the  necromantic  powers  of  the 
Countess  of  Athole,  who  was  deemed  a 
sorceress,  and  who  cast  the  Queen's  pains 
on  the  Lady  Reres,  one  of  her  attendants. 
Darnley  came  at  two  in  the  afternoon  to 
visit  his  wife  and  child,  when  the  following 
conversation  is  related.  "  My  lord,"  said 
the  Queen,  "  God  has  given  us  a  son."  Un- 
covering the  infant's  face,  she  then  added 
that  it  was  his  and  no  other  man's  son. 
Turning  to  an  English  nobleman  present, 
she  said,  "  This  is  the  son  who,  I  hope,  shall 
first  unite  the  two  kingdoms  of  Scotland  and 
England.  "  Why,  madam,"  said  Sir  William 
Stanley,  "  shall  he  succeed  before  your 
Majesty  and  his  father?  "  "  Alas,"  answered 
Mary,  "  his  father  has  broken  to  me,"  alluding 
to  the  murder  of  Rizzio.  "  Sweet  madam," 
said  Darnley,  "  is  this  the  promise  you  made, 
that  you  would  forget  and  forgive  all?  " 
"  I  have  forgiven  all,"  replied  the  Queen, 
"  but  I  will  never  forget.  What  if  Fawdon- 


156  Old  Edinburgh 

side's  pistol  had  shot ;  what  would  have  be- 
come of  both  the  babe  and  me?  "  "  Madam," 
said  Darnley,  "  these  things  are  past." 
"  Then,"  said  the  Queen,  "  let  them  go,"  and 
thus  ended  the  conversation. 

The  little  prince  was  baptized  at  Stirling  on 
the  1 7th  December,  of  this  year,  and  it  is  to 
be  noted  that  Darnley,  although  in  Stirling, 
was  not  invited  to  be  present  at  the  baptism 
of  his  own  son. 

In  1830,  during  some  repairs  on  the  west 
front  of  the  Royal  Apartments,  a  most 
curious  and  interesting  discovery  was  made. 
About  six  feet  from  the  pavement  of  the 
quadrangle,  nearly  in  a  line  with  the  Crown 
Room,  the  wall,  when  struck,  was  observed 
to  sound  hollow.  Upon  being  opened  from 
the  outside,  a  recess  was  found  which  con- 
tained a  tiny  oak  coffin,  evidently  of  great 
antiquity,  and  much  decayed.  Within  the 
coffin,  wrapped  in  a  cloth  apparently  of  wool, 
but  so  thickly  woven  that  it  resembled 
leather,  were  the  remains  of  a  child.  The 
decayed  fragments  of  a  richly  embroidered 
silk  inner  covering  bore  two  initials  wrought 
upon  it,  one  of  them  being  plainly  an  I.  It 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          157 

be  remembered  that  I  represented  J  in 
the  ancient  spelling.  By  order  of  the  com- 
mander of  the  Royal  Engineers,  the  coffin 
was  at  once  replaced  in  its  strange  place  of 
sepulture,  where  it  still  remains. 

Some  have  seen  in  this  the  clue  to  another 
and  secret  tragedy  of  the  Stuart  dynasty. 
It  is  a  fact  noted  by  some  historians  that  the 
person  and  character  of  James  VI.  gave  no 
evidence  of  royal  lineage.  He  had  not  the 
air  of  one  born  to  the  purple,  but  seemed  in- 
stead a  rustic  masking  in  kingly  garb.  It 
would  be  vain  now  to  attempt  a  solution  of 
this  mysterious  discovery,  but  to  the  novelist 
it  might  furnish  material  for  a  thrilling 
romance. 

The  Murder  of  Darnley 

To  Darnley  the  birth  of  a  son  made  no 
change  in  his  licentious  course  of  life,  and  his 
folly  filled  all  those  about  him  with  disgust. 
The  conspirators  who  had  joined  with  him 
in  Rizzio's  murder  resolved  on  his  destruc- 
tion. The  cowardly  Darnley,  scenting  danger, 
resolved  to  take  up  his  residence  with  his 


158  Old  Edinburgh 

father  at  Bothwell  Castle,  near  Hamilton. 
Being  seized  on  the  way  with  a  dangerous 
illness,  he  was  barely  able  to  reach  Glasgow, 
where  he  was  obliged  to  remain  in  strict 
seclusion.  Historians  differ  as  to  the  nature 
of  his  disease,  some  asserting  that  it  was 
small-pox,  others  that  it  was  induced  by 
poison,  and  again  that  it  was  the  result  of 
his  vicious  course  of  life.  The  Queen  pro- 
ceeded to  Glasgow  and  apparently  a  reconcili- 
ation resulted,  for  she  urged  Darnley  to 
return  with  her  to  Craigmillar  Castle,  near 
Edinburgh. 

Mary  had  not  been  deceived  by  Damley's 
protestations  of  innocence  regarding  the 
murder  of  Rizzio.  The  outrage  and  insult 
offered  her  regardless  of  her  position  as  queen, 
woman  or  approaching  mother,  by  that 
barbarous  invasion  of  her  privacy,  in  addition 
to  Darnley's  depraved  habits,  must  have 
changed  whatever  love  she  had  for  him  to 
hate.  She  was  a  beautiful  woman,  fully 
conscious  of  her  charms,  and  Darnley's 
neglect  of  her  for  the  society  of  women  of  the 
lowest  character  must  have  been  bitterly 
resented  with  all  the  force  of  her  proud 
nature. 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          159 

On  the  loth  of  February,  1567,  Mary's 
vengeance  struck  like  a  thunderbolt,  and 
Darnley  paid  full  penalty  for  all  his  crimes. 
Whether  the  hand  of  Mary  herself  wrought 
this  revenge,  or  whether  she  was  but  a 
compliant  agent  in  the  hands  of  others,  this 
event  has  left  on  her  memory  a  fatal  stain. 
The  details  of  this  dark  deed  make  one  of  the 
strangest  stories  in  history,  the  truth  of  which 
will  never  be  known.  The  apologists  of  Mary 
have  never  yet  explained  the  events  of  the 
last  day  and  night  in  a  manner  sufficiently 
convincing  to  acquit  her  from  the  guilt  of 
being  a  moral,  if  not  an  actual  participant  in 
the  murder  of  her  husband.  The  evidence 
obtained  by  the  commissioners  who  met  to 
examine  the  famous  "  Casket  Letters  "  was 
fatal  to  her  innocence,  even  if  we  throw  aside 
the  "  Letters  "  themselves  as  forgeries. 

The  evidence  plainly  shows  that  Bothwell 
and  Maitland  of  Lethington  —  Queen  Mary's 
secretary  —  devised  the  murder  of  Darnley. 
When  Mary  married  Bothwell  within  three 
months  —  and  absolute  proofs  exist  that  she 
did  —  she  married  him  with  full  knowledge 
that  he  was  her  husband's  murderer.  When 


160  Old  Edinburgh 

Elizabeth  of  England  wrote  her  urging  her  to 
clear  her  name  by  bringing  "  the  perpetra- 
tors to  a  rigorous  trial,"  Mary's  excuses  were 
so  evasive,  both  to  her,  and  to  Archbishop 
Beaton,  her  French  ambassador,  that  it  was 
the  prevailing  opinion  throughout  Europe 
that  she  herself  was  the  principal  cause  of 
Darnley's  murder. 

It  must  be  saidthatif  she  left  her  husband's 
chamber  on  that  night  without  suspicion  of 
what  was  about  to  happen,  with  every 
opportunity  before  her  to  learn  the  plan  of 
the  impending  crime,  her  ignorance  of  what 
was  going  on  about  her  passes  human  under- 
standing. But  the  testimony  of  Bothwell's 
servants  is  so  conclusive  that  we  can  form 
but  two  opinions:  either  she  was  a  full 
accomplice  in  that  dark  night's  deed,  or  was 
mentally  deranged.  It  would  be  charitable 
to  suppose,  and  indeed  not  without  reason, 
that  long  continued  mental  stress  had 
wrought  some  change  in  her  not  outwardly 
manifest. 

Mary  had  from  Glasgow  written  to  Mait- 
land,  her  secretary,  to  look  out  "  another  fit 
place,"  and  to  Bothwell,  at  the  same  time, 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          161 

"  I  remitt  myself  wholly  to  your  will.  Send 
me  word  what  I  shall  do,  and  whatsoever 
happen  to  me  I  shall  obey  you.  Think  also 
if  you  will  not  find  some  invention  more 
secret  by  physick,  for  he  is  to  take  physick 
at  Craigmillar  and  the  bathes  also,  and  shall 
not  come  fourth  of  long  time." 

In  the  meantime,  Maitland  and  Bothwell 
took  the  house  called  "  Robert  Balfour's 
ludging,"  which  stood  near  the  corner  of  the 
present  Drummond  Street  and  South  Bridge. 
This  house  was  properly  known  as  the  Preb- 
endaries' Chamber,  being  part  of  the  suite 
of  domestic  buildings  attached  to  the  Church 
of  Saint-Mary-in-the-Fields,  commonly  called 
the  "  Kirk-o'-Field."  Buchanan  describes  it 
as  "  a  house  not  commodious  for  a  sick  man, 
nor  comely  for  a  king,  for  it  was  both  riven 
and  ruinous,  and  had  stood  empty  without 
any  dweller  for  divers  years  before,  in  a  place 
of  small  resort  between  old  falling  walls  of 
two  kirks,  near  a  few  almshouses  for  poor 
beggars." 

Here  Darnley  was  taken  at  the  end  of 
January,  and  was  frequently  visited  by  the 
Queen.  Seemingly  the  breach  was  healed, 


162  Old  Edinburgh 

for  she  nursed  and  cared  for  him  with  much 
apparent  affection.  Even  on  the  night  before 
the  fatal  loth  of  February,  1567,  she  had 
"  petted  and  soothed  "  him  until  she  left 
to  be  present  at  the  bridal  banquet  and 
masque  of  her  servant  Sebastian  at  Holyrood 
Palace.  What  followed,  Chambers  tells  us 
with  curious  and  interesting  detail :  — 

"  While  this  event  is  connected  with  one 
of  the  most  problematical  points  in  our  own 
history,  or  that  of  any  other  nation,  it 
chances  that  the  whole  topography  of  the 
affair  is  very  distinctly  recorded.  We  know 
not  only  the  exact  spot  where  the  deed  was 
perpetrated,  but  almost  every  foot  of  the 
ground  over  which  the  perpetrators  walked 
on  their  way  to  execute  it.  It  is  chiefly  by 
reason  of  the  depositions  and  confessions 
brought  out  by  the  legal  proceedings  against 
the  inferior  instruments,  that  this  minute 
knowledge  is  attained. 

"  Darnley  was  brought  to  lodge  here  on  the 
3©th  of  January,  1567.  He  had  contracted 
the  small-pox  at  Glasgow,  and  it  was  thought 
necessary,  or  pretended  to  be  thought 
necessary,  to  lodge  him  in  this  place  for  air, 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          163 

as  also  to  guard  against  infecting  the  infant 
prince,  his  son,  who  was  lodged  in  Holyrood 
House.  The  house,  which  then  belonged  by 
gift  to  a  creature  of  the  Earl  of  Bothwell,  has 
been  described  as  so  very  mean  as  to  excite 
general  surprise.  Yet  speaking  by  com- 
parison, it  does  not  appear  to  have  been  a 
bad  temporary  lodging  for  a  person  in  Darn- 
ley's  circumstances.  It  consisted  of  two 
storeys,  with  a  turnpike  or  spiral  staircase 
behind.  The  gable  adjoined  to  the  town- 
wall,  which  there  ran  in  a  line  east  and  west, 
and  the  cellar  had  a  postern  opening  through 
that  wall.  In  the  upper  floor  were  a  chamber 
and  closet,  with  a  little  gallery  having  a 
window  also  through  the  town-wall.  Here 
Darnley  was  deposited  in  an  old  purple 
travelling  bed.  Underneath  his  room  was 
an  apartment  in  which  the  queen  slept  for 
one  or  two  nights  before  the  murder  took 
place.  On  the  night  of  Sunday,  February  9, 
she  was  attending  on  her  husband  in  his 
sick-room,  when  the  servants  of  the  Earl  of 
Bothwell  deposited  the  powder  in  her  room 
immediately  under  the  king's  bed.  The 
queen  afterwards  took  her  leave.  .  .  . 


164  Old  Edinburgh 

"  It  appears  from  the  confessions  of  the 
wretches  executed  for  this  foul  deed,  that  as 
they  returned  from  depositing  the  powder, 
they  saw  '  the  Queen's  grace  gangand  before 
thame  with  licht  torches  up  the  Black  Frier 
Wynd.'  On  their  returning  to  Bothwell's 
lodging  at  the  palace,  that  nobleman  pre- 
pared himself  for  the  deed  by  changing  his 
gay  suit  of  '  hose,  stockit  with  black  velvet, 
passemented  with  silver,  and  doublett  of 
black  satin  of  .the  same  maner,'  for  '  ane 
uther  pair  of  black  hose,  and  ane  canvas 
doublett  white,  and  tuke  his  syde  (long) 
riding-cloak  about  him,  of  sad  English  claith, 
callit  the  new  colour.'  He  went,  attended 
by  Paris,  the  queen's  servant,  Powry,  his 
own  porter,  Pate  Wilson  and  George  Dal- 
gleish,  '  downe  the  turnepike  altogedder,  and 
along  the  bak  of  the  Queenes  garden,  till  you 
come  to  the  bak  of  the  cunyie-house  (mint), 
and  the  bak  of  the  stabbillis,  till  you  come  to 
the  Cannogate  foment  the  Abbey  zett 
(gate).'  " 

After  passing  up  the  Canongate,  and  gain- 
ing entry  with  some  difficulty  by  the  Nether- 
Bow  Port,  "  thai  gaid  up  abone  Bassentyne's 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          165 

hous  on  the  south  side  of  the  gait,  and  knockit 
at  ane  door  beneath  the  sword  slippers,  and 
callit  for  the  Laird  of  Ormistounes,  and  ane 
within  answerit  he  was  not  thair;  and  thai 
passit  down  a  cloiss  beneath  the  Frier  Wynd 
(apparently  Toddrick's  Wynd),  and  enterit 
in  at  the  zett  of  the  Black  Friers,  till  thay 
came  to  the  bak  wall  and  dyke  of  the  town 
wall,  whair  my  lord  and  Paris  past  in  over 
the  wall." 

A  tremendous  explosion  at  two  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  which  shook  the  town  like  an 
earthquake,  and  roused  all  the  inhabitants, 
satisfied  the  conspirators  that  their  plot  had 
succeeded.  The  Earl  then  came  back  to  his 
attendants  at  this  spot,  and  "  thai  past  all 
togidder  out  at  the  Frier  zett,  and  sinderit 
(separated)  in  the  Cowgait." 

The  house  itself  by  this  explosion,  was 
destroyed,  "  even,"  as  the  Queen  tells  in  a 
letter  to  her  ambassador  in  France,  "  to  the 
very  grund-stane. "  Not  the  least  mysterious 
part  of  this  strange  story,  is  the  fact  that 
although  the  house  was  blown  literally  to 
fragments,  "  not  one  stone  left  upon  the 
other,"  the  bodies  of  Darnley  and  his  page 


166  Old  Edinburgh 

Taylor  were  found  in  their  night-gear  some 
distance  off  in  the  orchard,  with  scarce  a 
mark  of  violence  upon  them.  This  tragic 
event  —  the  "  mystery  of  Kirk  o'  Field  " — 
shook  all  Scotland,  and  cost  Queen  Mary 
ultimately  her  crown  and  kingdom. 

In  the  Parish  Register  of  the  old  "  Canon- 
gate  Kirk  "  stand  these  quaint  and  tragic 
memoranda  which  tell  the  story  of  Mary's 
revenge :  — 

"Monr-  Signior  Dauid  wes  slane  in  Haly- 
ruidhous,  ye  ix.  daye  o'  Merche,  1565." 

"  Ye  King's  Grace  blaun  up  wi  pudr<  in 
ye  Kirk  o'  Field,  ye  x.  o'  Februar,  1566. 

In  explanation,  it  must  be  remembered  that 
up  to  1600  the  year  began  with  the  25th  of 
March,  Old  Style. 

The  murder  of  Darnley  proved  fatal  to 
any  future  happiness  or  authority  in  the 
career  of  the  unfortunate  Queen  Mary.  On 
the  day  after,  she  retired  to  her  apartment, 
where  she  had  the  walls  hung  with  black, 
and  here  remained  in  strict  seclusion  until 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          167 

after  the  funeral.  Killigrew,  the  messenger 
of  Elizabeth,  who  came  with  letters  of  con- 
dolence, found  "  the  Queene's  Majesty  in  a 
dark  chamber,  so  that  he  could  not  see  her 
face,  but  by  her  words  she  seemed  very  dole- 
ful." She  only  left  this  sombre  refuge  upon 
the  urgent  advice  of  her  Council,  who  feared 
injury  to  her  health  from  her  close  and 
solitary  life. 

Mary  and  Bothwell  were  married  in  the 
Chapel  Royal  of  Holyrood,  by  Bothwell's 
kinsman,  Adam  Bothwell,  Bishop  of  Orkney, 
on  May  isth,  1567,  and  they  went  to  Borth- 
wick  Castle  to  spend  their  honeymoon. 
Bothwell  had  many  enemies  among  the  Scots 
nobility,  and  they  resolved  upon  his  over- 
throw, appearing  with  a  strong  force  before 
the  Castle  on  June  loth.  The  guilty  pair 
however  (Mary,  so  tradition  states,  clad  in 
male  attire)  managed  to  escape,  and  fled  to 
Dunbar,  there  sending  forth  summons  for  an 
army  to  join  them.  On  the  i5th  of  June, 
the  Queen's  forces  met  her  enemies  at  Car- 
berry,  near  Musselburgh,  but  on  account  of 
jealousy  and  disaffection  among  Mary's 
principal  followers  no  battle  ensued.  Both- 


168  Old  Edinburgh 

well  escaped,  but  Mary  surrendered  to  the 
Earl  of  Morton  and  was  taken  to  Edinburgh. 
Here  she  was  lodged,  with  the  savage  impre- 
cations of  her  now  hostile  subjects  ringing  in 
her  ears,  in  the  "  Black  Turnpike,"  the  house 
of  Sir  Simon  Preston  of  Craigmillar,  who  was 
Lord  Provost  at  this  time.  This  was  the  last 
night  Queen  Mary  ever  spent  in  the  capital 
of  her  kingdom. 

This  famous  structure  —  the  "  Black 
Turnpike  " —  on  the  site  of  which  now  stands 
the  Royal  Exchange,  was  at  the  time  of  its 
demolition  in  1788  claimed  to  be  the  oldest 
house  in  the  city.  Maitland  says  it  was  a 
"  magnificent  edifice,  which,  were  it  not 
partly  defaced  by  a  false  wooden  front,  would 
appear  to  be  the  most  sumptuous  building 
perhaps  in  Edinburgh." 

When  the  captive  Queen  entered  Edin- 
burgh, it  was  late  in  the  evening  of  Sunday, 
the  1 5th  of  June,  1 567,  but  she  was  recognized 
as  she  passed  along  the  streets,  and  assailed 
with  insulting  cries.  In  a  small  room  whose 
window  looked  out  upon  the  street,  she  spent 
the  night ;  and  on  looking  out  in  the  morning 
the  first  thing  that  met  her  eyes  was  a  large 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          169 

white  banner  "  stented  betwixt  two  spears," 
on  which  was  painted  a  likeness  of  the 
murdered  Darnley,  and  the  words  "  Judge 
and  revenge  my  cause,  O  Lord."  The  grief- 
stricken  Queen  cried  to  the  mob  from  her 
window,  "  Good  people,  either  satisfy  your 
cruelty  and  hatred  by  taking  away  my 
miserable  life,  or  release  me  from  the  hands 
of  such  inhuman  tyrants." 

Some  of  the  rabble  renewed  their  insulting 
cries,  but  the  burghers  raised  the  famous 
"  Blue  Blanket,"  their  ancient  standard,  and 
ran  to  arm  in  her  behalf.  The  confederates, 
taking  alarm,  at  once  removed  the  Queen  to 
Holyrood  on  a  pretence  of  restoring  her  to 
liberty.  After  they  had  safely  conveyed  her 
there,  the  lords  formed  themselves  into  a 
council,  and  at  once  signed  an  order  for  her 
imprisonment  in  Lochleven  Castle.  On  that 
night,  the  i6th  of  June,  1567,  she  was 
hurriedly  conveyed  from  Holyrood  disguised 
in  mean  attire,  and  forced  to  ride  at  a 
furious  gait  a  distance  of  thirty  miles  to  her 
place  of  captivity.  She  then  bade  final 
farewell  to  the  Palace  of  Holyrood  and 
the  Crown  of  Scotland. 


170  Old  Edinburgh 

At  once  following  upon  Queen  Mary's 
conveyance  to  Lochleven,  strict  search  was 
made  throughout  the  city,  for  the  murderers 
of  Darn  ley.  Captain  William  Blackadder, 
and  Sebastian,  a  French  attendant  of  the 
Queen,  together  with  three  others  —  as 
appears  by  the  Record  of  the  Privy  Council  — 
were  seized  and  imprisoned  in  the  Tolbooth. 
Sebastian  escaped,  but  the  others  were 
ordered  "  to  be  put  in  the  irins  and  tormentis, 
for  furthering  of  the  tryall  of  the  veritie." 
Although  protesting  innocence  of  the  crime, 
they  were  to  be  drawn  backward  on  a  cart  to 
the  City  Cross,  and  there  on  the  24th  of  June, 
1567,  were  hanged  and  quartered. 

The  Earl  of  Bothwell  had  been  arraigned 
previously  on  the  i2th  of  April  in  the  Tol- 
booth on  charge  of  the  murder,  but  as  no 
evidence  appeared  against  him  he  was  ac- 
quitted. He  appeared  in  court  with  such  a 
large  armed  following,  that  neither  judge, 
jury,  nor  witnesses,  dared  to  say  a  word 
against  him. 

With  Queen  Mary's  forced  departure  from 
Holyrood  on  her  way  to  imprisonment  in 
Lochleven  Castle,  comes  the  end  of  her 


Queen  Mary's  Edinburgh          171 

association  with  Edinburgh.  There  is  but 
little  more  to  say.  On  July  24th,  1567,  she 
was  forced  by  the  ruthless  Sir  Robert  Mel- 
ville and  Lords  Ruthven  and  Lindsay  of  the 
Byres,  who  visited  her  at  Lochleven,  to  sign 
her  abdiction  in  favour  of  her  son,  James  VI. 
From  Lochleven  Castle  on  May  26.,  1568, 
she  made  her  famous  escape,  which,  as  well 
as  other  incidents  of  her  stay  there,  is  so 
thrillingly  described  in  the  "  Abbot."  She 
reached  Hamilton,  where  she  held  Court,  but 
the  overwhelming  defeat  of  her  adherents  at 
the  battle  of  Langside,  near  Glasgow,  was 
the  last  blow  to  her  hopes,  and  she  fled  to 
England  to  appeal  to  the  generosity  of  Eliza- 
beth. We  remember  how  Elizabeth  justified 
the  confidence  reposed  in  her.  Thus  vanishes 
from  the  dramatic  stage  of  Scotland's  history 
its  most  picturesque  and  interesting  figure; 
a  pathetic  figure  as  well,  which  can  but  appeal 
to  sympathy.  Let  us  think  kindly  of  the 
gifted  and  lovely,  but  friendless  daughter 
of  James  the  Fifth,  whose  misfortunes  go  far 
to  palliate  her  faults. 


CHAPTER   VII 

IN    THE    TIME    OF  JAMES    VI 

AFTER  Mary  had  been  forced  to  sign 
her  abdiction  in  the  Castle  of  Loch- 
leven,  her  half-brother,  Lord  James  Stuart, 
invested  by  her  with  the  title  Earl  of  Moray, 
was  elected  Regent  for  the  young  James. 
His  rule  was  short,  extending  only  from 
August  22d,  1567,  to  January,  1570,  when 
he  fell  by  the  hand  of  an  assassin.  He  was 
buried  in  the  Church  of  St.  Giles,  and  John 
Knox  delivered  an  eloquent  oration  over  his 
remains  amid  universal  mourning.  A  monu- 
ment which  long  remained  an  object  of  great 
interest  was  erected  over  his  tomb  in  the 
south  transept.  In  1829,  during  the  altera- 
tions made  in  the  church  it  was  barbarously 
destroyed. 

The  Earl  of  Lennox,  the  father  of  Darnley, 
now  assumed  the  Regency  for  his  grandson, 
the  King.  The  Castle  was  at  this  time  held 

172 


JAMES    STUART,    EARL   OF    MORAY,    REGENT   OF    SCOTLAND. 


In  the  Time  of  James  VI          173 

by  Sir  William  Kirkaldy  of  Grange,  who  was 
still  loyal  to  Queen  Mary's  party.  He  an- 
nounced at  once  on  the  death  of  the  "  Good 
Regent  "  his  intention  to  put  Mary  again  on 
the  throne.  With  ample  supplies  and  a 
strong  garrison,  he  shut  the  great  gates  of  the 
fortress  with  sturdy  defiance  to  the  "  king's 
party." 

Kirkaldy  held  the  Castle  three  years  for 
Queen  Mary  against  four  successive  Regents. 
During  this  time  many  citizens  lost  their 
lives,  and  persecuted  Edinburgh  became  the 
battle-field  of  the  hostile  parties.  At  length 
the  condition  of  affairs  within  the  town 
became  so  desperate  from  the  constant  con- 
nonading  and  fighting,  and  such  was  the  de- 
struction of  life  and  property  among  the 
citizens,  that  the  Earl  of  Morton  renewed  the 
appeal  to  Elizabeth  for  aid.  In  response  to 
Morton's  urgent  appeal,  Queen  Elizabeth 
sent  Sir  William  Drury  with  a  strong  siege- 
train  to  aid  the  Regent  in  capturing  the  last 
stronghold  of  Mary's  adherents.  Kirkaldy 
held  out  gallantly  against  his  assailants,  and 
the  siege  is  perhaps  one  of  the  most  memo- 
rable in  the  history  of  the  Castle. 


174  Old  Edinburgh 

Kirkaldy  had  scant  supply  of  provisions 
when  the  siege  commenced,  for  his  secret 
underground  passage  into  the  town,  through 
which  his  supplies  had  been  brought,  had  been 
discovered  and  blown  up.  Yet  in  face  of  all 
adds  he  bade  the  foe  defiance,  hopefully 
awaiting  aid  from  France.  His  friends  among 
the  "  king's  party  "  vainly  urged  him  to 
surrender,  promising  most  liberal  terms. 
The  dying  John  Knox  even  sent  a  prophetic 
warning  —  which  was  literally  fulfilled  — 
but  all  to  no  avail. 

Batteries  were  planted  by  Morton  and 
Drury  before  the  main  entrance  to  the 
Castle;  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Nor* 
Loch;  on  the  site  of  Heriot's  Hospital,  and 
on  the  "  Dhu  Craig  "  on  Calton  Hill.  On  the 
2ist  of  May  these  simultaneously  opened 
fire  on  the  Castle,  and  for  seven  days  the 
cannonading  was  maintained  on  both  sides 
with  unceasing  vigour.  Between  the  salvos, 
the  shrieks  of  the  women  in  the  Castle  were 
heard  in  the  city.  The  position  of  the  be- 
sieged was  now  desperate;  the  wells  within 
the  Castle  were  choked,  provisions  failed, 
and  a  mutiny  at  length  drove  Grange  to  sue 
for  terms. 


JAMES  DOUGLAS,  EARL    OF    MORTON,  REGENT   OF    SCOTLAND. 


In  the  Time  of  James  VI         175 

So  great  was  the  destruction  of  the  de- 
fences of  the  Castle,  that  when  a  parley  was 
requested  by  beat  of  drum,  Kirkaldy  in  his 
armour  was  lowered  over  the  ruins  by  a  rope, 
to  arrange  terms  of  surrender.  He  was 
delivered  up  to  the  Regent,  and  with  several 
others  was  "  harlit  in  a  cartis  bakwart  "  to 
the  City  Cross,  there  hanged  and  quartered, 
and  his  head  stuck  up  on  the  Castle  wall. 

The  Castle  was  put  in  complete  repair  by 
the  Regent,  and  at  this  time  the  formation  of 
the  imposing  "  Half -moon  Battery  "  caused 
the  eastern  front  to  assume  its  present  ap- 
pearance. Otherwise  than  this  work,  it 
cannot  be  said  that  Morton's  regency  made 
much  impression  on  Edinburgh.  Although 
energetic  and  not  without  ability,  his  many 
acts  of  rapacity  and  injustice  at  length  made 
his  goverment  detestable  to  the  entire  nation. 

His  numerous  enemies  finally  combined 
to  effect  his  ruin,  and  in  1581,  after  standing 
trial  for  complicity  in  the  murder  of  Darnley, 
he  was  publicly  executed  by  the  "  Maiden,"  a 
species  of  guillotine  which  it  is  said  he  him- 
self invented.  His  body  was  buried  in  the 
Boroughmuir,  a  place  of  interment  for  the 


176  Old  Edinburgh 

worst  criminals,  and  his  head,  after  the 
custom  of  the  time,  was  placed  on  the  top 
of  the  Tolbooth. 

In  1579,  although  only  in  his  fourteenth 
year,  James  resolved  to  assume  the  royal 
power.  The  conventional  imposing  entry 
was  made,  the  Magistrates  receiving  James 
under  a  canopy  of  purple  velvet  at  the  West 
Port,  after  which  he  was  presented  with  the 
sword  and  sceptre.  At  the  ancient  West 
Bow  the  customary  "  bonnie  bairn "  de- 
scended from  a  globe,  bearing  a  silver  basin 
containing  the  keys  of  the  city  which  were 
presented  to  the  King,  "  while  Dame  Music 
and  hir  scollars  exercisit  hir  art  with  great 
melodie."  Before  the  banquet  was  served 
James  had  to  listen  to  the  usual  long  sermon, 
which  brotight  forth  the  remark  from  him 
that  "  doctrine  an'  a  toom  x  wame  didna 
gang  weel  thegither." 

After  the  sermon,  in  which  James  had  been 
duly  advised  regarding  kingly  duties,  the 
ceremonies  assumed  a  rather  more  lively 
aspect.  Upon  the  City  Cross  appeared 
Bacchus,  freely  dispersing  wine  to  all;  the 

1  Empty  stomach. 


JAMES    VI    OF    SCOTLAND   AND    I    OF    ENGLAND. 


In  the  Time  of  James  VI          177 

streets  along  the  route  of  the  royal  procession 
were  strewn  with  flowers,  and  the  walls  of  the 
houses  were  hung  with  historical  paintings 
and  tapestries. 

Edinburgh  did  not  show  remarkable  prog- 
ress under  James  VI.  He  appears  to  have 
had  great  success  in  managing  the  city 
authorities,  however,  and  made  many  per- 
sonal attacks  on  the  civic  treasury.  The 
King's  finances  were  generally  at  low  ebb, 
and  his  modesty  did  not  prevent  him  re- 
questing public  help  —  or  private,  for  that 
matter. 

The  old  town  was  again  the  scene  of  gor- 
geous display  and  festivity  when  James  arrived 
with  his  Queen,  Anne  of  Denmark,  on  May 
ist,  1590.  All  had  been  arranged  that  the 
royal  lady  should  come  to  Scotland  to  be 
united  to  the  Scottish  King,  but  violent  gales 
delayed  her  departure  from  Denmark.  James 
became  uneasy,  and  fearing  change  of  mind 
on  the  part  of  the  fair  one,  gallantly  hied  him 
to  Denmark  and  married  her.  Successfully 
defying  tempests  and  witches'  "  spells  "  he 
brought  his  Queen  to  Edinburgh,  where  the 
royal  pair  were  welcomed  in  very  much  the 


178  Old  Edinburgh 

same  manner  as  had  been  his  mother  Queen 
Mary. 

Several  amusing  stories  are  told  with 
relation  to  the  financial  straits  of  James  at 
this  time,  and  his  anxiety  to  make  a  good 
impression  on  the  Danish  ambassadors.  He 
raised  a  loan  of  1,000  marks  —  about  ^55  — 
from  John  Boswell  of  Balmuto  by  this  canny 
appeal  to  his  patriotism,  "  Ye  will  rather  hurt 
yersel  very  far,  than  see  the  dishonour  of  your 
prince  and  native  country,  wi'  the  poverty  of 
baith  set  down  before  the  face  of  strangers." 
In  his  letter  to  the  Earl  of  Mar  requesting  the 
loan  of  a  pair  of  silk  stockings  for  his  own 
wear  he  says,  "  Ye  wadna  wish  that  your 
king  suld  appear  a  scrub  on  sic  an  occasion." 

James  appears  by  his  artful  tact  to  have 
wheedled  many  favours  from  the  city  fathers, 
and  in  fact,  from  his  loyal  subjects  in  general. 
When  the  royal  larder  became  in  somewhat 
forlorn  condition,  or  when  other  assistance 
was  required,  the  King  did  not  hesitate  to 
make  appeal  in  the  form  which  became  so 
well  known:  "  Right  traiste  friend,  we  grete 
you  heartilie  weel."  This  flattering  formula 
was  generally  enough  to  warn  the  victims 


ANNE    OF    DENMARK,    QUEEN    OF   JAMES    VI    OF 
SCOTLAND    AND    I    OF    ENGLAND. 


In  the  Time  of  James  VI         179 

that  some  attack  was  meditated  on  their 
generosity. 

But  to  return  to  the  state  entry  into 
Edinburgh  of  James  and  his  Queen.  On  the 
6th  of  May,  1590,  they  made  their  state 
entry  into  the  capital.  They  were  received 
with  great  enthusiasm  on  the  part  of  the 
people,  and  the  houses  made  brave  showing 
in  holiday  gear  of  tapestries  and  banners.  The 
City  Cross  again  became  a  fountain  from 
which  claret  flowed  abundantly,  while  many 
pageants  and  ingenious  devices  had  been 
prepared.  The  young  Queen  rode  in  a  richly 
decorated  chariot,  the  lining  of  crimson 
velvet,  and  drawn  by  eight  horses  with 
gorgeous  trappings.  Eighty  youths  dressed 
as  Moors,  with  chains  about  their  necks, 
and  rich  ornaments  of  gold  and  jewels,  were 
her  attendants.  The  King  rode  on  horse- 
back by  the  side  of  the  chariot.  "  Ane 
angell "  presented  the  city  keys  to  her 
Majesty,  and  at  the  Butter  Tron  the  nine 
muses  received  them  "  with  verie  excellent 
syngyng  of  psalmes."  Another  "  verie  gude 
psalme  "  was  sung  to  their  Majesties  at  the 
Cross,  and  it  would  seem  that  psalms  figured 
largely  in  the  ceremonies. 


180  Old  Edinburgh 

At  the  Nether-Bow,  after  a  pageant  repre- 
senting the  royal  marriage  had  been  enacted, 
there  was  let  down  to  the  Queen  by  a  silken 
cord  from  the  top  of  the  Port,  a  casket  cov- 
ered with  purple  velvet,  and  bearing  her 
Majesty's  initials  in  diamonds.  This  casket 
contained  20,000  crowns  (about  ,£8,500) 
which  the  loyal  town  of  Edinburgh  gave  as  a 
present  to  their  Queen.  This  little  token 
doubtless  filled  the  soul  of  the  impecunious 
James  with  exceeding  satisfaction. 

A  poet  of  the  period  describes  quaintly  in 
thirty-nine  stanzas  the  scenes  presented :  — 


"  To  recreat  hir  hie  renoun, 
Of  curious  things  thair  wes  all  sort, 
The  stairs  and  houses  of  the  toun, 
With  Tapestries  were  spred  athort, 
Quhair  Histories  men  micht  behauld, 
With  Images  and  Anticks  auld. 

All  curious  pastimes  and  consaits, 

Cud  be  imaginat  be  man, 

Wes  to  be  sene  on  Edinburgh  gaits, 

Fra  time  that  brauitie  began: 

Ye  might  haif  hard  on  eurie  streit, 

Trim  melodic  and  musick  sweit" 


In  the  Time  of  James  VI          181 

The  wine  and  ale  at  the  grand  banquet  a 
few  days  later,  seem  to  have  formed  nearly  as 
formidable  an  item  as  they  did  in  Falstaff's 
tavern  bill.  This  feast  was  "  maid  at  the 
tounis  charges  and  expensis,  in  Thomas 
Aitchisotm's,  master  of  the  Cunzie  hous 
lugeing,  at  Todrick's  Wynd  fute."  The 
accounts  of  the  Lord  High  Treasurer  testify 
to  the  truth  of  an  expression  used  by  James 
on  this  occasion,  that  "  a  King  wi'  a  new 
marrit  wife  didna  come  hame  every  day." 
"  Item,  be  his  Grace  precept  and  special 
command,  twentie-thrie  elnis  and  ane  half 
reid  crammosie  velvet,  to  be  jowppis  and 
breikis  to  his  Majesties  four  laquayis.  Item, 
for  funessing  of  fyftene  fedder  beddis  to  the 
Densis  (Danes)  within  the  Palice  of  Halie- 
rudhous,  fra  the  fourt  day  of  Maij  1590, 
to  the  auchtene  day  of  Julij ;  takand  for  ilk 
bed,  in  the  nicht,  tua  schilling." 

The  statement  has  the  most  curious  ending, 
viz:  "  Item,  to  James  Nisbet,  jailor  of  the 
Tolbuith,  for  his  expenses  in  keeping  sundrie 
witches  there  by  his  Majesty's  orders." 
Evidently  King  Jamie  desired  to  suppress 
any  temptation  on  the  part  of  these  dealers 


182  Old  Edinburgh 

in  the  mystic  to  work  uncanny  havoc  in  this 
joyous  junket. 

During  the  reign  of  James  VI.  he  resorted 
to  rather  a  curious  attempt  to  put  an  end  to 
the  feuds  constantly  maintained  by  the 
nobility.  These  gentry  still  continued  to 
cherish  fondly  their  old  belief,  that  the  most 
gratifying  and  effectual  argument  in  their 
differences  was  cold  steel.  James  assumed 
the  part  of  reconciler,  and  getting  them  all 
together  at  Holyrood,  drank  their  healths, 
and  made  them  all  shake  hands  in  amity. 

After  a  banquet  in  Holyrood,  he  caused 
them  to  march  two  abreast  and  hand  in 
hand,  from  Holyrood  Abbey  up  the  Canon- 
gate  and  "  Hie  Gait  "  to  the  Town  Cross, 
where  a  table  had  been  prepared  with  wines 
and  delicacies.  We  can  imagine  these  deadly 
enemies,  Earls  Angus,  Crawford,  Mar,  Mont- 
rose,  Glencairn,  the  Master  of  Glammis,  and 
many  others,  marching  in  lamb-like  amia- 
bility up  to  the  Cross,  where  they  drank  to 
their  eternal  friendship.  A  few  days  later 
they  were  again  all  eyeing  one  another  like 
fighting-cocks,  waiting  only  for  a  favourable 
chance  to  commit  murder. 


In  the  Time  of  James  VI         183 

For  some  years  James  led  a  life  of  tran- 
quillity at  Holyrood  with  occasional  residence 
elsewhere,  very  often  with  his  hospitable 
subjects.  His  narrow  means  forbade  display, 
and  he  lived  in  homely  state.  He  was  wont 
to  visit  George  Heriot  —  "  Jingling  Geordie  " 
—  the  royal  goldsmith,  who  held  forth  in  a 
tiny  "  krame  "  only  seven  feet  square  under 
the  western  gable  of  St.  Giles.  Here  the 
prosperous  "  Geordie  "  would  often  sit  with 
his  master  and  gossip,  King  James,  over  a 
bottle  of  wine,  while  no  doubt  they  discussed 
the  latest  scandal  in  high  life. 

Sometimes,  when  the  extravagance  of  his 
Queen  —  who  was  a  devoted  patron  of  the 
royal  goldsmith  —  rendered  the  royal  house- 
keeping rather  meagre,  the  democratic  and 
hungry  James  would  condescend  to  drop  in  at 
dinner-time  on  some  of  the  prominent  citi- 
zens for  a  "  wee  bit  and  sup."  If  pressed  to 
extend  his  visit  for  a  few  days,  he  would  often 
graciously  accept  the  invitation.  Few  of  us 
are  favoured  nowadays  by  kings  "  dropping 
in  "  to  dinner  in  such  a  delightfully  informal 
way. 

In  the  year  1603,  on  the  night  of  Wednes- 


184  Old  Edinburgh 

day,  March  2ist,  Queen  Elizabeth  of  Eng- 
land died.  Sir  Robert  Carey  started  at  once 
for  Edinburgh,  and  shortly  before  midnight 
on  the  following  Saturday  was  kneeling  in  the 
royal  bed-chamber  at  Holyrood,  and  saluting 
James  as  King  of  England.  On  the  3ist  of 
March  the  news  was  proclaimed  at  the  City 
Cross,  and  on  Sunday,  April  3d,  King 
James  attended  service  in  St.  Giles  Church, 
where  he  had  so  often  before  claimed  the 
right  to  challenge  the  statements  of  the 
preachers  from  the  royal  gallery.  After  serv- 
ice he  took  leave  of  his  people  in  a  farewell 
address  full  of  regard  and  affection,  promising 
to  visit  Edinburgh  every  three  years. 

Edinburgh  was  now  to  mourn  her  loss  of 
prestige,  for  her  proud  position  as  the  resi- 
dence of  the  reigning  monarch  had  departed. 
The  removal  of  the  Court  and  many  of  the 
leading  noblemen  to  London,  made  a  marked 
change  in  the  gay  life  of  the  city. 

On  the  1 6th  of  May,  1617,  after  an  absence 
of  fourteen  years,  James  honoured  Edin- 
burgh with  a  visit.  He  had  previously 
ordered  that  the  Palace  of  Holyrood  be  re- 
paired, and  that  the  chapel  be  restored  and 


In  the  Time  of  James  VI         185 

furnished  with  an  organ.  In  order  to  further 
carry  out  his  idea  "  to  let  the  nobles  of  Eng- 
land knaw  that  his  cuntrie  was  nothing  in- 
ferior to  thers  in  anie  respect,"  he  sent  as 
decorations  for  the  chapel  twelve  richly  orna- 
mented wooden  statues  of  the  Apostles. 
These  caused  a  warm  protest  from  the  citi- 
zens as  emblems  of  "  idolatry,"  so  James  was 
forced  to  forego  his  decorative  ambition. 
He  sourly  rebuked  the  people  and  the  Presby- 
terian clergy  for  their  ignorance  in  not  know- 
ing the  difference  between  works  of  art  and 
objects  of  worship. 

James  with  his  imposing  suite  was  received 
at  the  West  Port  by  the  Magistrates  and 
principal  citizens  most  gorgeously  arrayed. 
The  town-clerk,  John  Hay,  greeted  him  with 
such  a  flattering  address  that  it  is  a  wonder 
James  did  not  burst  with  pride.  This  effu- 
sion lasted  for  the  space  of  a  full  hour  and 
began  thus:  —  "  This  is  the  happy  day  of  our 
new  birth,  ever  to  be  retained  in  fresh  mem- 
ory with  consideration  of  the  goodness  of 
Almighty  God,  wherein  our  eyes  behold  the 
greatest  human  felicity  our  hearts  could  wish, 
which  is  to  feed  upon  the  royal  countenance 


186  Old  Edinburgh 

of  our  true  Phoenix,  the  bright  star  of  our 
northern  firmament,  the  ornament  of  our 
age,"  and  so  on. 

Much  enthusiasm  was  displayed  by  his 
loyal  subjects  during  this  visit  of  James,  and 
his  progress  through  the  streets  of  the  Old 
Town  was  marked  with  much  ceremony. 
The  citizens'  train-bands,  all  resplendent  in 
satin  doublets  and  bearing  halberts,  lined 
both  sides  of  the  "  Hie  Gait  "  and  "  Canon 
Gait."  In  order  to  celebrate  his  fifty-first 
birthday  in  the  room  where  he  was  born,  he 
paid  a  formal  visit  to  the  Castle  on  the  igth 
of  June. 

The  sanitary  condition  of  Edinburgh  at 
this  time  was  something  frightful,  as  we  may 
judge  by  the  description  of  the  streets  and 
the  high  mortality  rate.  A  most  extraordi- 
nary state  of  affairs  prevailed  throughout  the 
city,  and  some  note  of  this  is  of  interest  as 
showing  the  extreme  disregard  to  all  con- 
siderations of  health,  not  to  mention  cleanli- 
ness. 

All  offensive  trades,  so  termed,  were 
allowed  to  be  carried  on  within  the  town. 
The  refuse  from  the  fish  and  all  other  markets 


In  the  Time  of  James  VI         187 

was  thrown  into  the  street,  and  there  left  to 
decay.  Candle- makers  were  allowed  "  to 
keepe  their  shoppes  and  houses  where  they 
melt  their  tallow  and  cracklings,  within  the 
heart  of  the  burgh;"  and  fleshers  might 
"  keepe  their  slaughter-shoppes  within  the 
towne,  and  '  toom  '  (empty)  the  filth  of  the 
slaughtered  animals  upon  the  high  streets, 
and  in  open  vennalles  and  cloases,  whereby  it 
oftentimes  falleth  out  that  in  mony  streets 
of  the  said  burgh  the  filth  of  the  slaughter- 
shoppes  is  in  such  abundance  exposed  to  the 
view  of  the  people,  and  the  cloases  and  streets 
are  so  filled  therewith,  as  there  can  be  no 
passage  thorow  the  same." 

We  can  readily  infer  that  navigation  about 
the  streets  of  the  ancient  town  was  a  perilous 
proceeding,  and  one  fraught  with  much 
anxiety  to  the  daintily  apparelled  belles  and 
beaux. 

The  householders  had  an  informal  custom 
of  suddenly  discharging  from  their  windows 
to  the  thoroughfare  below,  various  accumula- 
tions of  domestic  garbage,  and  lucky  was  he 
of  the  cautious  weather-eye  and  the  nimble 
foot.  The  firing-party  was  supposed  to  give 


188  Old  Edinburgh 

warning  of  an  impending  volley  to  those 
below  by  a  cry  of  "  Gardez  I'eau,"  but  some- 
times this  formality  was  tardily  observed,  to 
the  great  dismay  and  detriment  of  the  recipi- 
ent. After  nine  o'clock  at  night  the  noise  of 
a  window  being  opened  suddenly  above, 
generally  brought  from  the  footpath  a  startled 
appeal  to  "  Haud  yer  hand!  "  which  was 
accompanied  by  a  hurried  scuttling  to  the 
middle  of  the  street. 

It  is  therefore  not  a  matter  of  surprise  to 
learn  that  Edinburgh  at  the  beginning  of  the 
seventeenth  century  had  the  reputation  of 
being  the  dirtiest  city  in  the  world.  In  the 
tall  houses  which  lined  the  sides  of  the  High 
Street  and  closes,  some  being  even  crowded 
into  the  middle  of  the  street,  people  swarmed 
like  bees  in  a  hive.  This  hill  teemed  with 
humanity  in  the  Middle  Ages,  and  even  at 
the  present  day  it  is  stated  that  there  is  no 
equal  area  in  Europe  so  thickly  popu- 
lated. 

The  conditions  in  the  old  days  were  alto- 
gether unfavourable,  and  the  habits  of  the 
people  opposed  to  all  principles  of  sanitary 
science,  which  was  then  little  thought  of, 


In  the  Time  of  James  VI         189 

although  the  proclamations  of  the  period 
indicate  a  belief  that  disease  and  dirt  had 
some  connection.  Judging,  however,  from 
the  nature  of  the  precautions  then  employed, 
the  authorities  seem  not  to  have  fully  under- 
stood the  relation  of  the  frightful  epidemic 
pestilences  which  devastated  Edinburgh  from 
time  to  time,  to  the  prevalence  of  filth  and 
defective  ventilation.  London  and  other 
large  cities  were  not  much  better,  but  their 
population  had  more  room.  Covent  Garden 
is  stated  at  this  time  to  have  been  an  ex- 
tremely dirty  market,  with  garbage  in  heaps 
even  at  the  thresholds  of  the  Countess  of 
Berkshire  and  of  the  Bishop  of  Durham. 

There  remains  little  to  be  said  about  James 
in  connection  with  Edinburgh.  Although 
professing  great  regard  for  the  land  of  his 
birth,  he  caused  an  Act  of  Parliament  to  be 
passed  which  was  to  carry  out  his  favourite 
project  for  the  complete  establishment  of 
Episcopacy  in  Scotland.  The  citizens  of 
Edinburgh  clung  firmly  to  Presbyterian 
forms,  although  James  threatened  the  re- 
moval of  the  seat  of  government  and  other 
penalties.  The  people  were  deprived  of  their 


190  Old  Edinburgh 

churches,  but  they  thronged  to  the  conven- 
ticles of  the  clergy.  Affairs  were  in  this 
critical  stage  when  James  died  on  March  26th, 
1625. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

IN  THE   TIME   OF   THE    COVENANTERS 

IN  1633  Charles  I.  came  to  Edinburgh  to 
be  crowned.  This  was  an  occasion  of 
great  magnificence,  as  we  may  read  in  the 
account  given  by  Spalding.  He  was  met  at 
the  West  Port  by  the  nymph  Edina,  who 
recited  with  great  profuseness  verse  from  the 
pen  of  Drummond  of  Hawthornden.  The 
Magistrates,  wearing  robes  of  scarlet,  and  the 
Councillors,  clad  in  gowns  of  black  with  velvet 
facings,  welcomed  him  loyally.  Charles  came 
attended  by  sixteen  coaches  —  then  not 
common  in  Scotland  —  and  the  Scottish 
Horse  Guards.  From  this  time  it  became  the 
fashion  for  the  nobility  to  ride  about  in 
private  carriages. 

The  grand  procession  from  the  Castle 
down  to  Holyrood  appears  to  have  been  a 
gorgeous  affair.  The  windows  were  filled 

191 


192  Old  Edinburgh 

with  eager  faces,  and  every  house  was  gay 
with  flowers,  banners,  velvet  and  tapestry. 
Mount  Parnassus  had  been  erected  at  the 
Tron,  crowded  with  all  its  ancient  inhabitants 
and  "  with  a  great  variety  of  vegetables, 
rocks,  and  other  decorations  peculiar  to 
mountains."  A  most  notable  decoration  was 
formed  at  the  Nether-Bow  Port,  being  a 
series  of  pictures  illustrative  of  native  scenery, 
the  chief  works  of  Jamesone,  the  famous 
Scottish  artist. 

"  Mounted  on  a  roan  horse,  and  having  a 
saddle  of  rich  velvet  sweeping  the  ground 
and  massive  with  trappings  of  gold,  Alexan- 
der Clark,  the  Provost,  appeared  at  the  head 
of  the  bailies  and  council  to  meet  the  King, 
while  the  long  perspective  of  the  crowded 
street  (then  terminated  by  the  spire  of  the 
Nether-Bow)  was  lined  by  a  brave  company, 
all  in  white  satin  doublets,  black  velvet 
breeches,  and  silk  stockings;  with  hats, 
feathers,  scarfs  and  bands.  These  gallants 
had  dainty  muskets,  pikes,  and  gilded  parti- 
sans. 

"  Six  trumpeters  in  gold  lace  and  scarlet 
preceded  the  procession,  which  moved  slowly 


In  the  Time  of  the  Covenanters     193 

from  the  Castle  gate.  Then  came  the  lords 
in  their  robes  of  scarlet,  ermined  and  laced, 
riding  with  long  foot-mantles;  the  bishops 
in  their  white  velvets,  and  lawn  sleeves  looped 
with  gold;  the  viscounts  in  scarlet  robes; 
Haddington  bearing  the  Privy  Seal ;  Morton 
the  Treasurer's  golden  mace,  with  its  globe 
of  sparkling  beryl;  the  York  and  Norroy 
English  kings-at-arms  with  their  heralds, 
pursuivants  and  trumpeters,  in  tabards 
blazing  with  gold  and  embroidery ;  Sir  James 
Balfour,  the  Scottish  Lion  King,  preceding 
the  spurs,  sword,  sceptre,  and  crown,  borne 
by  earls.  Then  came  the  Lord  High  Con- 
stable riding  with  his  baton,  supported  by 
the  Grand  Chamberlain  and  Earl  Marshal, 
preceding  Charles,  who  was  arrayed  in  a  robe 
of  purple  velvet  once  worn  by  James  IV.,  and 
having  a  foot-cloth  embroidered  with  silver 
and  pearls,  and  his  long  train  upborne  by  the 
young  Lords  Lome,  Annan,  Dalkeith  and 
Kinfauns. 

"  Then  came  the  Gentlemen  Pensioners, 
marching  with  partisans  upraised;  then  the 
Yeomen  of  the  Guard,  clad  in  doublets  of 
russet  velvet,  with  the  royal  arms  raised  in 


194  Old  Edinburgh 

embossed  work  of  silver  and  gold  on  the  back 
and  breast  of  each  coat  —  each  company 
commanded  by  an  earl.  The  gentlemen  of 
the  Scottish  Horse  Guards  were  all  armed  a 
la  cuirassier  and  carried  swords,  petronels, 
and  musketoons." 

With  the  greatest  pomp  and  splendour  in 
the  Abbey  Church  of  Holyrood,  on  June  18, 
1633,  Charles  I.  was  crowned  by  the  Bishop 
of  St.  Andrews.  It  must  be*  said  that  his 
subsequent  interest  in  Edinburgh  was  largely 
of  a  mercenary  character.  Like  his  father 
he  had  an  "  itching  palm  "  and  was  con- 
tinually demanding  money  for  one  purpose 
or  another. 

Religious  strife  was  again  to  rage  in  Edin- 
burgh, for  Charles  lacked  the  cautious  pru- 
dence of  his  father,  and  under  the  mal- 
influence  of  the  zealous  Archbishop  Laud 
essayed  to  force  Episcopacy  upon  the  people. 
Public  resentment  at  the  proposed  changes 
in  religious  worship  had  now  reached  the 
boiling  point.  On  the  Sunday  of  July  23d, 
1637,  the  new  service-book  prepared  ex- 
pressly for  the  use  of  the  Scottish  Church 
was  directed  to  be  read  for  the  first  time  in 


In  the  Time  of  the  Covenanters     195 

St.  Giles  Church.  The  church  was  packed 
with  a  murmuring  multitude,  and  the  Lord 
Chancellor,  the  Lords  of  the  Privy  Council, 
judges,  and  bishops,  were  among  the  throng. 

Dean  Hanna,  in  surplice  arrayed,  mounted 
to  the  reading-desk  and  opened  the  new 
service-book.  No  sooner  had  the  first  few 
words  of  the  detested  service  been  read  than 
the  church  was  filled  with  an  angry  uproar. 
Confused,  the  dean  paused,  when  the  bishop 
from  the  gallery  called  to  him  to  proceed 
with  the  collect  for  the  day.  This  was  the 
signal  for  the  doughty  Jenny  Geddes,  one  of 
the  kailwives,  or  vegetable  venders  who  held 
forth  around  the'  "  Tron,"  to  make  her 
historic  onslaught  on  the  unlucky  dean. 
"  Colic,  did  ye  say!  "  shouted  the  enraged 
Jenny  with  kailwifely  vigour:  "  de'il  colic 
the  wame1  o'  ye! "  and  as  she  forcibly  punctu- 
ated her  remarks  by  hurling  her  "  cutty- 
stool  "  at  the  head  of  the  bewildered  dean, 
she  added,  "  Out,  thou  false  thief!  dost  thou 
say  Mass  at  my  lug?  " 

In  vain  were  all  attempts  to  pacify  the 
people.  The  appeals  of  Dr.  Lindsay,  Bishop 

1  Stomach. 


196  Old  Edinburgh 

of  Edinburgh,  or  those  of  the  Lord  Chancellor 
and  Archbishop  of  St.  Andrews  had  no  effect, 
The  mob  attacked  the  church  from  the  out- 
side with  stones,  shouting  "  Pape,  Pape, 
Antichrist,  pull  him  down."  The  clergy  were 
assaulted  on  the  street,  and  the  bishop  barely 
escaped  with  his  life.  At  Greyfriars  Church 
the  scene  was  repeated,  and  the  memorable 
day  was  afterward  known  as  "  Stoney  Sun- 
day." 

The  famous  Jenny  for  many  years  after- 
ward presided  with  red-faced  dignity  and 
importance  at  her  cabbage-stall  at  the  Tron 
Kirk.  Here  she  sat  in  state,  the  oracle  of  the 
sisterhood  of  kailwives,  who  hearkened  to  her 
vigorous  observations  with  great  deference. 
The  famous  "  cutty-stool  "  with  which  the 
first  blow  in  this  great  civil  war  was  struck, 
is  still  to  be  seen  in  the  Scottish  Antiquarian 
Museum  in  Edinburgh.  This  is  certainly 
evidence  enough  to  convince  the  most 
hardened  skeptic  of  the  truth  of  this  famous 
incident. 

People  of  all  ranks  came  in  crowds  to 
Edinburgh  from  every  part  of  Scotland, 
resolved  to  unite  for  mutual  protection.  A 


In  the  Time  of  the  Covenanters     197 

league  was  formed  for  the  defence  of  their 
religion,  with  four  sections,  according  to 
rank;  noblemen,  gentlemen,  clergy  and 
burgesses.  Thus  originated  the  famous 
"  Four  Tables,"  as  the  committees  of  these 
divisions  were  called.  On  the  Sunday  of 
February  28th,  1638,  the  National  Covenant 
was  read  aloud  to  a  vast  multitude  in  the 
Greyfriars  Church  and  Churchyard.  It  was 
laid  upon  the  top  of  a  tomb  in  the  church- 
yard, and  all  crowded  to  sign  it,  many  in 
their  enthusiasm  opening  a  vein  in  order  that 
they  might  register  their  names  in  their  own 
blood.  The  parchment  was  four  feet  long, 
and  each  side  was  covered  with  names  to  its 
utmost  capacity. 

All  Scotland  was  now  in  arms  to  support 
the  Covenant.  War  was  resolved  on,  and 
thousands  of  seasoned  Scottish  fighting  men, 
who  were  soldiers  of  fortune  in  Germany, 
Sweden,  and  other  foreign  parts,  came 
swarming  home  to  fight  under  the  banner  of 
the  Covenant.  Sir  Alexander  Leslie  of 
Balgonie,  Marshal  of  Sweden  under  Gus- 
tavus  Adolphus,  was  appointed  General  of 
their  forces,  and  on  March  2ist,  1639,  led 


198  Old  Edinburgh 

an  attack  on  Edinburgh  Castle.  Its  governor, 
Colonel  Haldane,  surrendered  almost  at 
once,  as  the  Castle  was  in  no  condition  either 
in  point  of  men  or  provisions  to  make  a 
defence. 

Early  in  1648,  after  defeating  the  army  of 
the  Duke  of  Hamilton,  Oliver  Cromwell  made 
his  visit  to  Edinburgh.  His  stay  was  brief, 
and  at  Moray  House,  which  he  occupied,  he 
held  peaceable  conclave  with  the  "  Lord 
Marquis  of  Argyll,  and  the  rest  of  the  well- 
affected  lords." 

Charles  II.  on  the  death  of  his  father  was 
proclaimed  King  at  the  City  Cross  in  Edin- 
burgh, but  the  terms  on  which  he  was  offered 
the  Scottish  Crown  were  most  distasteful  to 
him.  Montrose  was  accordingly  despatched 
with  an  army  to  assert  the  King's  authority, 
but  his  attempt  was  a  failure.  He  was 
betrayed  by  a  pretended  friend,  being  cap- 
tured while  endeavouring  to  escape  in  the 
disguise  of  a  peasant  after  the  defeat  of  his 
army  at  Philiphaugh  on  May  18,  1650.  Three 
days  afterward  he  was  most  barbarously 
hanged  and  quartered  at  the  City  Cross.  His 
head  was  placed  high  upon  the  Tolbooth, 


JAMES    GRAHAM,    MARQUIS    OF    MONTROSE. 


In  the  Time  of  the  Covenanters     199 

and  his  limbs  sent  to  Stirling,  Glasgow,  Perth, 
and  Aberdeen,  to  be  exposed  at  the  city 
gates  with  every  indignity. 

The  savagery  exhibited  in  the  records  of 
these  times  is  appalling.  Nicol  in  his  Diary 
says,  "  thair  wes  daylie  hanging,  skurging, 
nailling  of  luggis,  and  binding  of  pepill  to  the 
Trone,  and  booring  of  tongues." 

Charles  at  length  consented  to  agree  to  the 
Covenant,  no  other  terms  being  offered  him. 
On  2d  August,  1650,  he  arrived  at  Edin- 
burgh with  a  large  retinue,  and  entering  by 
the  Water  Gate  rode  in  state  up  the  Canon- 
gate  and  High  Street  to  the  Castle.  He  was 
well  received,  being  entertained  by  the  Magis- 
trates at  a  magnificent  banquet  in  the  Parlia- 
ment House. 

At  this  time  the  understanding  which  had 
existed  between  the  Covenanters  and  Crom- 
well terminated,  and  his  unexpected  victory 
at  Dunbar  placed  the  southern  part  of  Scot- 
land completely  in  his  hands.  He  followed 
up  his  advantage  by  at  once  marching  on 
Edinburgh,  which  together  with  Leith  he 
occupied,  and  after  a  short  siege  took  the 
Castle,  which  was  feebly  defended  by  the 


200  Old  Edinburgh 

traitor  Dundas.  Cromwell  took  up  his 
quarters  in  the  Earl  of  Moray's  house  in  the 
Canongate,  while  his  soldiers  were  quartered 
in  Holyrood  Palace,  the  Castle,  and  about 
the  town.  Through  their  carelessness  the 
palace  was  set  on  fire  in  November,  1650, 
and  the  grand  old  building  was  totally  des- 
troyed with  the  exception  of  the  two  north- 
west towers.  These  vandals  of  Cromwell's 
also  wrecked  in  their  customary  brutal 
fashion  the  interior  of  the  Greyfriars  Kirk, 
together  with  other  churches  in  which  they 
were  quartered.  To  deface  and  destroy  all 
church  ornaments  was  considered  by  them 
to  be  evidence  of  piety. 

From  1650  to  1660  Edinburgh  remained 
under  martial  law.  The  preachers  had  been 
invited  by  Cromwell  to  return  to  their  own 
pulpits,  but  they  were  rather  fearful  of  the 
"  sectaries "  and  declined.  Their  places 
were  taken  sometimes  by  the  independent 
preachers,  but  oftener  by  the  soldiers  them- 
selves, who  would  hold  forth  with  much 
dramatic  flourishing  of  drawn  swords.  This 
vigorous  style  of  exposition  drew  great  audi- 
ences, "  many  Scots  expressing  much  affec- 


In  the  Time  of  the  Covenanters     201 

tion  at  the  doctrine,  in  their  usual  way  of 
groans."  Cromwell  himself  is  said  to  have 
preached  in  St.  Giles  Churchyard. 

After  the  death  of  Cromwell,  General 
Monk,  commander-in-chief  of  the  army  in 
Scotland,  resolved  to  accomplish  the  restora- 
tion of  Charles  II.  Public  sentiment  under- 
went a  sudden  change  when  the  news  of  the 
Restoration  was  received.  From  being  re- 
ferred to  by  the  Town  of  Edinburgh  as  "  His 
Highness  the  umquhile  Lord  Protector, 
Oliver  Cromwell,  under  whom  we  have  en- 
joyed great  peace  and  felicitie,"  it  now 
became  "  That  notour  tyrant  and  traitor 
Oliver,"  who  was  burned  in  effigy  on  the 
Castle  Hill  along  with  that  of  "  his  partner 
and  father,  the  Devil." 

Nicol  says  in  his  Diary:  "the  effigies  of 
that  notour  tyrant  and  traytour  Oliver,  being 
set  upone  ane  pole,  and  the  Devill  upone 
aneuther,  it  wes  ordered  by  fyre  wark,  ingyne 
and  trayne,  the  Devill  did  chase  that  traytour, 
and  persewit  him  still,  till  he  blew  him  in  the 
air." 

The  loyal  Scots  hailed  with  delight  the 
"  happy  restoration."  The  bells  of  the  city 


202  Old  Edinburgh 

were  rung,  and  there  were  bonfires,  banquets, 
and  salutes  from  the  Castle  guns,  Mons  Meg 
adding  her  great  voice  to  the  general  rejoicing. 
The  City  Cross  was  decked  with  garlands  of 
flowers,  and  again  ran  wine,  a  great  number 
of  glasses  being  shattered  on  the  pavement 
here  after  the  health  of  His  Sacred  Majesty 
and  the  perdition  of  Cromwell  had  been  drunk 
from  them. 

In  accordance  with  one  of  the  first  Acts  of 
Parliament  after  the  Restoration,  the  attain- 
der of  the  great  Marquis  of  Montrose  was 
revoked,  and  his  dismembered  body  was 
given  honourable  burial.  On  January  7th, 
1 66 1,  the  Magistrates  and  chief  nobility, 
attended  by  citizens  bearing  arms,  went  in 
procession  to  the  Boroughmuir,  where  the 
body  of  the  Marquis  was  exhumed  from  its 
ignominious  grave  and  placed  in  a  coffin. 

Under  a  rich  canopy  of  velvet,  with  music 
sounding,  and  with  the  booming  of  the  Castle 
guns,  this  was  borne  back  to  Edinburgh.  At 
the  Tolbooth,  a  high  platform  had  been 
erected  nearest  to  that  part  where  the  head 
of  the  Marquis  had  been  pricked  and  fixed. 
Upon  this  staging,  with  bare  heads  were 


In  the  Time  of  the  Covenanters     203 

trumpeters  and  others  awaiting  the  arrival  of 
the  procession.  Upon  reaching  this  point,  a 
halt  was  made  while  the  head  was  reverently 
taken  down  and  placed  beside  the  body, 
after  which  the  coffin  was  deposited  in  the 
Abbey  Church  of  Holyrood. 

The  other  portions  of  the  body,  which  we 
remember  had  been  exposed  at  the  gates  of 
four  other  cities  of  Scotland,  were  collected, 
and  on  May  nth,  1661,  the  great  funeral 
took  place.  In  solemn  procession  the  muti- 
lated remains  were  borne  from  Holyrood 
Abbey  to  the  Church  of  St.  Giles,  while  the 
entire  line  of  street  from  the  Palace  to  the 
Church  was  lined  by  a  guard  of  burghers  all 
in  armour,  and  with  their  banners  displayed. 
In  the  southeast  aisle  of  old  St.  Giles,  "at  the 
back  of  the  tomb  where  his  grandsire  was 
buried,"  Montrose  found  final  resting  place. 

It  seems  to  be  quite  unanimously  agreed 
that  Charles  II.  was  the  most  despicable 
sovereign  who  ever  wore  the  English  Crown. 
A  brief  study  of  his  portrait  seems  to  be 
enough  to  convince  one  of  the  conceit  and 
deceit,  sensuality  and  selfishness  of  his  base 
nature.  He  showed  his  appreciation  of  the 


204  Old  Edinburgh 

loyalty  of  the  Scots,  who  stood  by  him  when 
he  was  an  exile,  by  re-establishing  Episcopacy 
in  Scotland  in  spite  of  his  previous  most 
solemn  assurances  to  the  contrary. 

The  Marquis  of  Argyll  was  by  one  of  the 
first  acts  of  the  dominant  party  tried  and 
condemned  against  all  principles  of  justice, 
on  the  accusation  of  complying  with  Crom- 
well in  the  death  of  Charles  I.  The  judges 
who  sentenced  him  were  each  more  guilty 
than  he  of  the  charge  brought  against  him. 
Argyll  met  his  fate  with  serenity  and  com- 
posure, being  beheaded  by  the  "  Maiden  " 
which  had  been  used  at  the  execution  of  the 
Regent  Morton.  His  head  was  exposed  on 
the  same  spike  on  the  Tolbooth  from  which 
that  of  Montrose  had  been  so  recently  re- 
moved. 

Religious  persecution  was  now  carried  to 
such  extremes  that  the  people  at  length 
openly  revolted.  The  Presbyterian  clergy 
who  had  been  expelled  from  their  churches 
had  been  holding  meetings  known  as  "  con- 
venticles "  in  the  wilds  of  Galloway,  Ayrshire, 
Dumfries,  Peeblesshire,  Lanarkshire  and  the 
Lothian  s.  The  secret  meeting-places  in  their 


In  the  Time  of  the  Covenanters     205 

mountainous  retreats  had  been  ferreted  out 
and  their  meetings  broken  up. 

Persecuted  beyond  endurance,  the  people 
rose  and  marched  upon  Edinburgh,  but  that 
grim  foe  of  the  Covenanters,  General  Dalziel 
of  Binns,  met  them  at  Rullion  Green  in  the 
Pentland  Hills,  about  five  miles  from  Edin- 
burgh, and  they  were  completely  routed. 
The  prisoners  were  brought  into  the  city  and 
placed  in  a  dark  and  dismal  chamber  in  the 
Church  of  St.  Giles  known  as  "  Haddo's 
Hole,"  from  Sir  John  Gordon  of  Haddo,  who 
was  long  held  prisoner  there.  Those  of  high 
rank  were  confined  in  the  Tolbooth  and  after 
a  mock  trial  were  executed,  or  sent  to  the 
American  plantations. 

For  some  years  following  Edinburgh  was 
the  scene  of  the  frequent  and  barbarous  exe- 
cutions of  the  Presbyterian  Non-conformists. 
The  Duke  of  Lauderdale  had  been  in  1671 
appointed  Commissioner  for  Scotland,  and 
under  his  directions  Dalziel  of  Binns,  Graham 
of  Claverhouse,  and  Grierson  of  Lagg,  scoured 
the  country  in  all  directions  to  prevent  the 
fugitive  ministers  from  holding  conventicles 
with  their  people.  The  prisoners  taken  were 


206  Old  Edinburgh 

all  sent  to  Edinburgh  for  trial,  and  after  a 
mockery  of  justice  were  tortured  and  execu- 
ted in  the  Grassmarket,  then  the  scene  of 
public  executions. 

About  this  time  Charles  awoke  to  the  fact 
that  Lauderdale  was  driving  Scotland  into 
revolution,  so  in  1680  the  Duke  of  York  was 
sent  to  Edinburgh  to  succeed  him,  to  try  by  a 
more  conciliatory  policy  to  win  the  favour  of 
the  Scots.  The  Duke  arrived  accompanied 
by  his  Duchess,  Mary  d'Este,  daughter  of  the 
Duke  of  Modena,  who  was  praised  by  Dryden 
and  others  of  the  time  for  her  great  beauty. 
His  daughter,  Lady  Anne  —  afterward  Queen 
Anne  —  also  came  with  him,  and  her  amiable 
personality  was  of  great  help  to  her  father 
in  his  relations  with  the  Scots  nobility. 

During  the  Duke's  residence  at  Holyrood 
he  maintained  a  splendid  court.  The  severe 
decorum  of  Scottish  manners  relaxed  under 
the  affable  influence  of  the  charming  Mary 
of  Modena  and  the  Lady  Anne,  and  the  novel 
luxuries  of  the  English  Court  formed  an 
attraction  to  the  Scottish  grandees.  Tea 
was  introduced  for  the  first  time  into  Scot- 
land, and  given  by  the  Duchess  as  a  great 


JOHN   MAITLAND,    DUKE    OF    LAUDERDALE. 


In  the  Time  of  the  Covenanters     207 

treat  to  the  Scottish  ladies.  Balls,  plays, 
and  masquerades  were  also  given,  but  the 
last  were  too  much  for  the  staid  and  formal 
Scots,  who  believed  the  disguise  was  assumed 
for  vicious  purposes.  Plays  also  became 
popular,  although  the  clergy  and  many  of 
the  citizens  denounced  them  as  devices  of 
the  Evil  One. 

Masques  at  Court,  in  which  the  Lady  Anne 
and  other  court  beauties  assumed  the  parts  of 
gods  and  goddesses,  were  sometimes  given, 
which  proceedings  of  course  horrified  the 
clergy.  The  Duke  and  his  gentlemen  amused 
themselves  with  golf  and  tennis.  The  Duke 
was  a  keen  golfer,  and  many  traditions  prove 
his  proficiency  on  the  links  at  Leith,  which 
won  favourable  comment  from  the  Scots. 

On  one  occasion  in  answer  to  an  assertion 
by  some  of  his  suite  that  Englishmen  could 
play  golf  as  well  as  Scotsmen,  the  Duke 
wagered  that  he  and  a  Scottish  player  he 
would  select,  would  beat  any  pair  of  English- 
men. On  the  wager  being  accepted,  the  Duke 
chose  John  Paterson,  who,  though  but  a  poor 
Canongate  shoemaker,  was  the  Scots  cham- 
pion. The  match  was  played  on  Leith  Links, 


208  Old  Edinburgh 

and  chiefly  by  Paterson's  brilliant  play  the 
Englishmen  were  ignominiously  beaten.  So 
delighted  was  the  Duke,  that  he  gave  the 
whole  wager  to  Paterson,  who  made  good  use 
of  it  by  building  the  house  ever  afterwards 
known  as  the  "  Golfer's  Land,"  in  the  Canon- 
gate. 

The  struggle  with  the  Covenanters  still 
continued,  and  fearing  another  civil  war,  the 
Duke  of  York  resorted  at  last  to  the  bar- 
barous policy  of  Lauderdale.  During  the 
years  1681-82  the  relentless  persecution  of  the 
Covenanters  continued,  and  never  were  there 
so  many  executions  and  slaughters. 

In  1685,  upon  the  death  of  Charles  II., 
James,  Duke  of  York,  was  proclaimed  King 
at  the  Market  Cross.  One  of  his  first  acts  was 
to  insist  that  the  Abbey  Church  of  Holyrood 
be  given  up  to  the  service  of  the  Mass.  This 
was  his  real  intention,  although  it  was 
cloaked  under  the  pretence  of  giving  the 
Abbey  up  to  the  use  of  the  Knights  of  the 
Order  of  the  Thistle,  an  order  which  he  had 
founded.  "  An  altar,  vestments,  images, 
priests  and  their  appurtenants  "  arrived  at 
Leith,  being  brought  from  London  by  the 


In  the  Time  of  the  Covenanters     209 

king's  yacht  for  the  purpose  of  restoring  the 
Abbey  to  its  ancient  uses.  A  college  of  priests 
was  established  at  Holyrood,  and  daily 
service  was  held  in  the  Chapel. 

Fresh  riots  at  once  ensued,  and  the  birth  of 
the  Prince  of  Wales  on  June  3oth,  1688, 
brought  matters  to  a  crisis.  It  was  realized 
by  both  Episcopalians  and  Presbyterians, 
that  if  a  Catholic  son  succeeded  a  Catholic 
father  the  doom  of  Protestantism  was  assured, 
and  to  William  of  Orange,  James's  son-in- 
law,  all  looked  as  their  deliverer.  The  news 
of  the  landing  of  the  Prince  of  Orange  on 
English  soil  filled  the  Scottish  Presbyterians 
with  the  greatest  joy.  His  supporters  flocked 
to  Edinburgh,  and  the  Earl  of  Perth,  King 
James's  Lord  Chancellor,  was  forced  by  a 
riot  to  hurriedly  leave  the  city.  A  few  hours 
afterwards  the  Catholic  Chapel  of  Holyrood 
was  attacked  by  a  mob,  and  the  magnificent 
carved  stalls,  with  all  the  costly  fittings,  were 
reduced  to  ruins. 

William  and  Mary,  on  the  nth,  of  April, 
1689,  were  proclaimed  King  and  Queen  of 
Scotland.  The  Castle  was  still  held  for  King 
James  by  the  Duke  of  Gordon.  To  him  went 


210  Old  Edinburgh 

Viscount  Dundee  while  the  "  Lords  of  Con- 
vention "  in  Parliament  House  were  pro- 
claiming William  and  Mary,  and  prevailed 
upon  him  to  hold  the  Castle  while  he  went  to 
the  Highlands  to  raise  the  friends  of  James. 
News  of  this  interview  filled  the  citizens  with 
great  consternation.  The  drums  sounded 
alarm,  and  a  body  of  the  Duke  of  Hamilton's 
troops,  which  were  quartered  in  the  city, 
pursued  the  gallant  Dundee ;  but  he  escaped 
them,  riding  northward  to  arouse  the  High- 
land clans. 

"  Dundee  he  is  mounted,  he  rides  up  the  street, 
The  bells  are  rung  backward,  the  drums  they  are  beat ; 
But  the  provost,  douce  man,  said, «  Just  e'en  let  him  be, 
The  gude  toun  is  well  quit  of  that  de'il  of  Dundee.' 

"  Come  fill  up  my  cup,  come  fill  up  my  can : 
Come  saddle  your  horses,  and  call  up  your  men ; 
Come  open  the  Westport  and  let  us  gang  free, 
And  its  room  for  the  bonnets  of  bonnie  Dundee." 

The  Duke  of  Gordon  being  in  no  way  pre- 
pared to  stand  a  siege,  surrendered  the  Castle 
on  the  1 3th  of  June,  1689,  the  last  strong- 
hold of  any  importance  that  had  been  held 
for  the  exiled  King. 


JOHN    GRAHAM    OF    CLAVERHOUSE,    VISCOUNT    DUNDEE. 


CHAPTER   IX 

THE    UNION    WITH    ENGLAND    AND   THE 
REBELLION    OF    1745 

FOR  a  brief  period  Edinburgh  enjoyed 
peace  and  prosperity,  until  the  unfortu- 
nate Darien  expedition  spread  disaster 
throughout  Scotland.  It  had  always  been 
the  desire  of  the  Scots  to  share  in  the  East 
India  trade,  but  the  English  merchants  had 
jealously  kept  them  out  of  this  market.  A 
company  was  formed  in  1695,  and  it  was 
proposed  that  Scotland  should  establish  a 
settlement  on  the  Isthmus  of  Darien  and  fit 
out  ships  to  trade  with  Africa  and  the  Indies. 
The  sum  of  .£400,000  sterling  was  soon  sub- 
scribed, shares  being  taken  by  practically  all 
the  householders  in  Edinburgh  and  through- 
out Scotland.  The  imposing  Darien  House  — 
which  stood  near  the  Bristo  Port  —  with  its 
fine  offices  and  warehouses  was  built,  and  the 

211 


212  Old  Edinburgh 

stockholders  indulged  in  dreams  of  fabulous 
riches.  The  scheme,  through  gross  mis- 
management and  the  machinations  of  the 
English  traders,  proved  an  utter  failure. 
This  ended  in  the  abandonment  of  the  Darien 
settlement,  and  the  ships  of  the  Scottish 
company,  while  lying  in  the  Thames,  were 
seized  for  piracy. 

When  news  of  these  happenings  reached 
Scotland  the  greatest  excitement  and  resent- 
ment prevailed.  The  popular  feeling  against 
King  William  became  intense,  and  English 
residents  in  Edinburgh  fled  in  alarm  from  the 
desperate  riots  which  followed.  An  oppor- 
tunity for  revenge  against  the  East  India 
Company  occurred  when  afterwards  one  of 
their  vessels  put  in  to  refit  at  Leith.  The 
Scots  Government  immediately  seized  it  and 
imprisoned  the  crew,  who  after  a  long  trial 
were  convicted  of  "  piracy  "  and  hanged  on 
the  sands  of  Leith. 

This  barbarous  deed  terrified  the  London 
merchants  who  had  Scottish  trade  connec- 
tions, particularly  when  it  was  rumoured  that 
Scotland  was  making  warlike  preparations. 
This  time  was  decidedly  most  unfavourable 


The  Union  with  England          213 

for  any  proposition  to  unite  the  two  king- 
doms, yet  in  the  Parliament  which  met  in 
Edinburgh  in  June,  1705,  the  first  steps  in 
this  direction  were  taken.  The  people  were 
bitterly  opposed  to  the  Union  for  reasons 
already  mentioned,  and  chiefly  because  it 
was  thought  an  attempt  to  sacrifice  their 
independence  and  establish  English  suprem- 
acy. 

The  "patriots" — as  the  enemies  to  this 
movement  were  called  —  under  the  lead  of 
the  Duke  of  Hamilton  fought  against  it  with 
vigorous  determination,  and  the  citizens  of 
Edinburgh  supported  them.  Throughout  the 
last  year  of  the  negotiations  the  city  was  a 
scene  of  continual  uproar,  and  the  Castle 
guards  were  called  upon  to  protect  the  Duke 
of  Queensberry,  who  was  the  King's  Com- 
missioner in  Scotland.  On  his  leaving  Parlia- 
ment House  he  was  always  driven  at  full 
gallop  in  his  coach  to  his  residence  at  the 
Palace,  attended  by  a  troop  of  horse-guards, 
and  hooted,  cursed,  and  pelted  by  the  mob. 

Queensberry,  however,  held  on  with  bull- 
dog grip  and  well  it  was  that  he  did  so.  By 
all  means  in  his  power,  even  by  bribery  and 


214  Old  Edinburgh 

corruption,  he  continued  to  advance  the 
Articles  of  Union,  until,  after  a  hard  struggle, 
the  point  was  reached  when  the  signatures 
only  were  needed  to  complete  the  negotia- 
tions. The  Commissioners  met  in  the  Parlia- 
ment House  for  this  purpose,  but  were  com- 
pelled to  leave  by  the  mob.  A  tavern 
offered  no  privacy,  for  the  rioters  found  them 
there.  A  little  summer-house  back  of  Moray 
House  in  the  Canongate  seemed  to  be  a  safe 
meeting  place,  but  the  spies  discovered  them, 
and  the  mob  was  at  once  on  their  track. 

They  now  separated,  each  one  apparently 
going  to  his  own  home,  but  by  arrangement 
met  later  in  a  cellar  in  the  High  Street  nearly 
opposite  the  Tron  Church,  and  there  signed 
the  Articles  of  Union.  That  same  night  they 
were  on  their  way  to  London,  for  it  was 
known  that  the  mob  was  waiting  for  Queens- 
berry  to  depart  on  the  next  day,  with  the 
probable  intention  of  waylaying  him  and 
destroying  the  documents. 

The  familiar  procession,  so  popular  a 
feature  to  the  people  of  Edinburgh  in  the 
assembly  of  the  "  Estates,"  took  place  for  the 
last  time  on  January  i6th,  1707.  In  the 


The  Union  with  England          215 

House  of  Parliament  on  the  2$th  of  March, 
all  was  completed,  and  amid  a  silence  broken 
by  the  sounds  of  grief  from  those  who 
mourned  the  loss  of  Scottish  independence, 
the  Duke  of  Queensberry  formally  dissolved 
the  "  Scots  Estates,"  thus  ending  the  history 
of  Scotland  as  a  separate  kingdom.  As  the 
Earl  of  Seafield,  the  Chancellor,  said,  on 
descending  from  his  official  chair  with  ill- 
concealed  emotion,  "  Thus  endeth  an  auld 
sang." 

The  opening  or  "  Riding  of  the  Parlia- 
ment," as  it  was  called,  was  one  of  the  most 
impressive  state  processions  which  were  wont 
to  occur  in  Edinburgh.  The  one  here  de- 
scribed took  place  in  1703  before  the  union 
with  England :  — 

"  The  streets  of  the  city  of  Edinburgh  and 
Canongate  were  cleared  of  all  coaches  and 
carriages,  and  a  lane  formed  by  the  streets 
being  inrailed  on  both  sides,  within  which 
none  were  permitted  to  enter  but  those  who 
went  in  procession,  the  captains,  lieutenants, 
and  ensigns  of  the  trained  bands  excepted. 
Without  the  rails,  the  streets  were  lined 
with  the  horse-guards  from  the  Palace  of 


216  Old  Edinburgh 

Holyrood-house ;  westwards,  after  them,  with 
the  horse-grenadiers;  next,  with  the  foot- 
guards,  who  covered  the  streets  up  to  the 
Nether-Bow,  and  thence  to  the  Parliament 
Square,  by  the  trained  bands  of  the  city; 
from  the  Parliament  Square  to  the  Parlia- 
ment House,  by  the  High  Constable's  guards; 
and  from  the  Parliament  House  to  the  bar, 
by  the  Earl  Marshal's  guards. 

"  The  Lord  High  Constable  being  seated 
in  an  elbow-chair  at  the  door  of  the  Parlia- 
ment House;  the  officers  of  state  having 
ridden  up  before  in  their  robes;  and  the 
members  of  Parliament  with  their  attendants 
being  assembled  at  Holyrood-house,  the 
rolls  of  Parliament  were  called  by  the  Lord 
Register,  Lord  Lyon,  and  Heralds,  from  the 
windows  and  gates  of  the  Palace,  from  which 
the  procession  moved  to  the  Parliament 
House  in  the  following  order :  — 

Two  Trumpeters, 

in  coats  and  banners,  bareheaded,  riding. 
Two  pursuivants,  in  coats  and  foot-mantles,  also  riding. 
Sixty-three  Commissioners   for    Burghs   on    horseback, 
covered,  two  and  two,  each  having  a  lacquey  attend- 
ing on  foot,  the  odd  member  walking  alone. 


The  Union  with  England          217 

Seventy-seven  Commissioners  for  Shires  on  horseback, 
covered,  two  and  two,  each  having  two  lacquies 
attending  on  foot. 

Fifty-one  Lords  Barons  in  their  robes,  riding,  two  and 
two,  each  having  a  gentleman  to  support  his  train, 
and  three  lacquies  on  foot,  wearing  above  their 
liveries,  velvet  surtouts,  with  the  arms  of  their 
respective  Lords  on  the  breasts  and  back,  embossed 
on  plate,  or  embroidered  with  gold  and  silver. 

Nineteen  Viscounts  as  the  former. 
Sixty   Earls,    as   the    former,   four    lacquies   attending 

on  each. 

Four  trumpets,  two  and  two. 

Four  pursuivants,  two  and  two, 

And  six  Heralds,  two  and  two,  bareheaded. 

Lord  Lyon,  King-at-Arms,  in  his  coat,  robe,  chain,  baton, 

and  foot-mantle. 

Sword  of  State,  borne  by  the  Earl  of  Mar. 
The  Sceptre,  borne  by  the  Earl  of  Crawford. 

The  Crown, 
borne  by  the  Earl  of  Forfar,  in  room  of  the  Marquis 

of  Douglas. 

The  Purse  and  Commission,  by  the  Earl  of  Morton. 
The  Duke  of  Queensberry,   Lord  High  Commissioner, 

with  his  servants,  pages,  and  footmen. 
Four  Dukes,  two  and  two,  gentlemen  bearing  their  trains, 

and  each  having  eight  lacquies. 
Six  Marquises,  each  having  six  lacquies. 

The  Duke  of  Argyle. 

Captain  of  the  Horse  Guards. 

The  Horse  Guards. 


218  Old  Edinburgh 

"  The  Lord  High  Commissioner  was  re- 
ceived by  the  Lord  High  Constable,  and  by 
him  conducted  to  the  Earl  Marshal,  between 
whom,  his  Grace,  ushered  by  the  Lord  High 
Chancellor,  was  conveyed  to  the  Throne. 
When  the  Parliament  rose,  the  procession 
returned  in  nearly  the  same  order  to  Holy- 
rood-house,  where  the  Members  were  magnifi- 
cently entertained  at  supper  by  the  Lord 
High  Commissioner." 

It  will  be  readily  seen  that  the  Union  was  a 
hard  blow  to  Edinburgh  in  many  ways.  She 
had  up  to  this  time  occupied  the  proud  posi- 
tion of  being  the  largest  and  most  important 
town  in  Scotland.  By  the  removal  to  London 
of  her  parliamentary  representatives  and 
with  them  many  of  the  leading  nobility,  she 
lost  both  in  political  and  social  prestige.  For 
half  a  century  she  drowsed  along  sunk  in  a 
profound  depression,  until  the  renown  of 
her  Medical  School  and  University,  together 
with  her  literary  glory,  made  her  famous 
again  throughout  Europe.  Such  was  the 
isolation  of  Edinburgh  for  many  years  that 
the  English  looked  upon  its  citizens  as 
"  barbarously  provincial,"  and  their  manner 


The  Union  with  England         219 

of  speech  was  criticized  with  much  merri- 
ment. 

This  was  hotly  resented  by  the  spirited 
Scots.  The  presence  of  a  host  of  English 
tax-collectors  who  overran  Scotland  as  a 
result  of  the  Union,  also  produced  general 
discontent,  and  turned  the  minds  of  the 
people  to  the  exiled  Stuart  family. 

The  year  1736  is  marked  by  the  rising  of 
the  famous  Porteous  Mob,  an  event  which 
threatened  Edinburgh  with  the  loss  of  its 
charters.  Wilson  and  Robertson,  two  men 
under  sentence  of  death  as  smugglers,  were 
taken  according  to  custom  to  hear  service  in 
the  Tolbooth  Church,  on  the  Sunday  pre- 
ceeding  their  execution.  On  coming  out 
from  the  church,  Wilson,  a  giant  in  strength, 
seized  a  guard  with  each  hand  and  a  third 
with  his  teeth,  first  calling  to  Robertson, 
"  Run,  Geordie,  run."  The  latter  did  so  and 
escaped,  being  aided  by  the  people  who 
crowded  around  and  blocked  the  guard  in 
their  attempt  at  pursuit.  The  sentiment  of 
the  people  had  always  been  against  the  excise 
laws,  which  they  considered  unjust  and 
tyrannical,  so  the  prowess  of  Wilson  and  his 


220  Old  Edinburgh 

unselfish  action  made  him  more  than  ever 
an  object  of  popular  sympathy. 

On  the  day  of  his  execution,  fearing  that 
the  mob  would  attempt  a  rescue,  the  magis- 
trates ordered  the  town-guard  to  load  with 
ball  cartridge.  After  the  sentence  had  been 
inflicted  on  Wilson  in  the  Grassmarket,  the 
mob  began  to  stone  the  executioner  —  which 
by  the  way  was  a  common  proceeding  in 
those  times,  and  the  soldiers  also  were  often 
subjected  to  the  same  treatment.  On  this 
occasion,  however,  when  the  mob  began  to 
pelt  the  town-guard  with  unusual  vigour, 
their  Captain,  John  Porteous,  naturally  a 
man  of  "  harsh  and  fierce  habits,"  lost  his 
temper  completely,  and  shot  twice  into  the 
crowd,  at  the  same  time  giving  his  men  the 
command  to  fire.  Naturally,  in  their  state 
of  irritation  they  poured  a  volley  into  the 
mob,  and  as  they  retreated  to  the  guard- 
house, pursued  by  the  infuriated  rabble, 
some  of  the  rearmost  soldiers  turned  and 
renewed  their  fire.  Six  persons  were  killed,  and 
eleven  were  severely  wounded,  as  the  result. 

Porteous  was  tried  and  condemned  for 
murder,  but  Queen  Caroline,  who  in  the 


The  Union  with  England          221 

absence  of  her  husband,  George  II,  at  Han- 
over, was  acting  as  regent,  reprieved  him. 
The  people,  who  looked  upon  Wilson  as  a 
martyr  to  the  rigid  excise  laws  and  other 
results  of  the  hated  Union,  now  determined 
to  take  the  law  into  their  own  hands.  Porte- 
ous  was  already  in  evil  odour  with  them  from 
his  many  deeds  of  arbitrary  violence  upon 
their  fellow-citizens,  and  they  resolved  that 
he  should  not  escape. 

The  plot  was  laid  with  great  secrecy  and 
completeness.  The  leaders  of  the  mob  were 
variously  disguised,  some  of  them  being  in 
female  attire,  and  it  is  said  the  clothing  of 
some,  as  well  as  their  conduct  on  this  occa- 
ion,  betrayed  them  as  being  of  far  higher  rank 
than  the  rabble.  They  surprised  the  town- 
guard,  seized  their  weapons,  and  blocked  the 
city  gates  to  keep  the  troops  out.  Then 
setting  fire  to  the  door  of  the  Tolbooth,  they 
soon  forced  it,  and  liberated  all  the  prisoners 
except  the  object  of  their  vengeance.  Drag- 
ging their  pallid  victim  down  the  steep  West 
Bow,  pausing  only  long  enough  to  break  into 
a  shop  to  secure  a  rope  —  for  which  they  left 
a  guinea  on  the  counter  —  they  took  Porteous 


222  Old  Edinburgh 

to  the  Grassmarket  and  hanged  him  to  a 
dyer's  pole  near  the  spot  where  so  many  of 
his  victims  had  been  slaughtered.  Sir  Walter 
Scott  tells  this  story  with  thrilling  effect  in 
"  The  Heart  of  Midlothian." 

When  the  news  reached  Queen  Caroline  of 
this  act  of  contempt  for  her  exercise  of  the 
royal  prerogative,  her  indignation  waxed 
high,  and  she  threatened  "  to  turn  Scotland 
into  a  hunting  field. ' '  This  brought  forth  the 
historic  rejoinder  from  the  Duke  of  Argyll, 
who  said,  looking  at  her  with  significant 
emphasis,  "  In  that  case,  madam,  it  is  high 
time  I  returned  home  to  look  after  my 
hounds."  This  warning  was  understood  by 
the  Queen,  who  said  no  more  to  him  on  the 
subject,  but  dire  penalties  were  threatened 
against  the  city  of  Edinburgh.  Her  charter 
was  to  be  taken  away,  her  Lord  Provost  to 
be  put  in  prison,  the  town-guard  was  to  be 
abolished,  and  the  Nether-Bow  Port  des- 
troyed. Through  the  exertions  of  the 
Scottish  members,  however,  a  compromise 
was  reached,  and  the  penalty  was  finally 
made  a  fine  of  £2,000  to  be  paid  by  the  city 
to  the  widow  of  Captain  Porteous. 


The  Union  with  England         223 

In  August  of  the  eventful  year  1745,  news 
was  received  that  Prince  Charles  Edward, 
the  "  Young  Chevalier,"  had  landed  on  the 
west  coast  of  Scotland  and  was  marching  on 
to  Edinburgh,  the  home  of  his  fathers.  The 
city  wall  was  hastily  repaired,  and  ditches 
were  dug  as  additional  defence.  When  the 
Prince  and  his  wild  Highland  hosts  arrived 
on  the  1 6th  of  September  at  Slatef ord,  about 
two  miles  from  Edinburgh,  he  sent  a  letter  to 
the  Lord  Provost,  demanding  the  immediate 
surrender  of  the  city.  He  promised  if  this 
was  done,  to  respect  all  rights  of  the  city 
and  of  its  citizens,  as  subjects  of  James  VIII. 
(himself) . 

The  town  authorities  delayed  giving  a 
direct  answer,  in  order  to  gain  time  for  the 
arrival  of  Sir  John  Cope,  who  was  marching  to 
their  relief.  Charles  knew  of  this  movement 
and  resolved  upon  stratagem.  A  coach  had 
conveyed  the  deputation  of  Provost  and 
Town  Magistrates  to  Slateford  to  parley  over 
the  terms  of  capitulation.  In  the  meantime 
a  party  of  Highlanders  had  stationed  them- 
selves in  St.  Mary's  Wynd,  and  without  the 
Nether-Bow  Port.  As  the  gates  were  opened 


224  Old  Edinburgh 

to  allow  the  coach  to  pass  through  on  its  way 
back  to  the  stables  in  the  Canongate,  a  horde 
of  wild-haired  Highlanders  rushed  in,  cap- 
tured the  guard,  and  soon  were  in  possession 
of  the  town. 

Charles  Edward  followed  swiftly  on  their 
heels,  and  took  possession  of  Holyrood  Pal- 
ace, while  his  Highland  followers  encamped 
in  the  royal  park  near  Duddingston.  As  the 
"  Young  Chevalier  "  was  on  his  way  to  the 
Palace,  he  saw  from  the  "  Haggis  Knowe  " 
a  spectacle  that  must  have  made  his  heart 
leap  for  joy.  The  whole  expanse  of  the  park 
was  filled  with  a  vast  multitude  in  holiday 
garb,  with  flags  and  streamers  waving  every- 
where. Shouts  of  joy  and  welcome  greeted 
the  Prince  as  he  advanced,  attended  by  the 
Duke  of  Perth,  and  Lord  Elcho,  son  of  the 
Earl  of  Wemyss.  Young,  handsome,  and  of 
gracious  bearing,  the  people  took  him  to  their 
hearts  at  once,  and  his  tact  in  wearing  the 
Highland  dress,  in  part  at  least,  did  not 
lessen  this  good  impression.  The  people 
knelt  by  hundreds  to  kiss  his  hand,  and  his 
soldiers  with  the  greatest  difficulty  managed 
to  make  way  for  him  through  the  surging 


I.I.   PRINCK   CHAKI.KS 
KJXHARn  STl'ART. 


THE         YOUNG    CHEVALIER. 


The  Union  with  England          225 

• 

masses  who  crowded  toward  their  idol.  We 
can  well  imagine  the  popular  sentiment 
which  inspired  the  old  lines :  — 


"  Charlie  he's  my  darling, 
The  young  Chevalier." 


His  appearance  at  this  time  is  thus  de- 
scribed: "  He  is  in  the  prime  of  life,  tall  and 
handsome,  of  a  fair  complexion,  and  wore  a 
light-coloured  peruke,  the  ringlets  of  which 
fell  behind  him  over  his  shoulders  in  graceful 
masses,  while  over  the  front  of  his  forehead 
his  own  straw-coloured  hair  was  carefully 
combed.  In  complexion  ruddy,  its  delicate 
hue  had  suffered  from  exposure  to  the  sun, 
and  was  slightly  freckled.  His  visage  was 
oval  in  shape,  while  his  brow  had  all  the 
intellectual,  but  melancholy  loftiness,  so 
remarkable  in  the  portraits  of  his  ancestors. 
His  neck  was  long,  but  not  ungracefully  so, 
and  was  covered  by  a  simple  cloak,  fastened 
with  a  buckle;  his  eyes  were  blue,  and  were 
large  and  rolling,  while  his  eyebrows  were 
finely  arched.  The  nose  was  round  and  high, 
and  his  mouth  small,  while  in  stature  he 
stood  about  5  feet  10  inches.  He  wore  a  blue 


226  Old  Edinburgh 

bonnet  bound  with  gold  lace,  and  adorned 
with  his  badge  —  the  white  satin  cockade. 
He  had  a  short  tartan  coat,  on  the  breast  of 
which  hung  the  order  of  St.  Andrew.  A 
blue  sash,  wrought  with  gold,  came  grace- 
fully over  his  shoulder,  while  he  wore  small 
clothes  of  red  velvet,  a  pair  of  military  boots, 
and  a  silver  hilted  broadsword." 

The  old  Palace  of  Holyrood  now  witnessed 
within  its  walls  some  brilliant  scenes.  Here 
Charles  held  his  daily  "  Cabinet  Councils  " 
with  his  military  leaders,  and  here  were  held 
his  levees,  to  which  all  the  citizens  of  Edin- 
burgh flocked.  In  the  long  Picture  Gallery 
he  gave  those  splendid  balls,  which  were  the 
topic  of  conversation  among  the  belles  of 
Edinburgh  for  generations  afterward. 

Although  the  "  Young  Chevalier "  won 
many  hearts  by  his  amiability  and  modesty, 
he  failed  to  number  among  his  admirers 
General  Guest,  Governor  of  the  Castle,  and  a 
staunch  adherent  of  the  Government.  When- 
ever the  Highlanders  appeared  in  the  city,  he 
raised  the  flag  and  fired  cannon,  in  order  to 
discourage  any  attempt  at  familiarity  on 
their  part. 


The  Union  with  England          227 

The  star  of  Charles  seemed  to  be  in  the 
ascendant  when,  four  days  after  his  advent, 
he  severely  defeated  Sir  John  Cope  at  Pres- 
tonpans.  Cope's  dragoons  fled  from  the  field, 
and  left  all  their  baggage,  artillery,  and 
military  chests  in  the  Prince's  hands,  who 
returned,  flushed  with  triumph,  to  Holyrood. 
His  Highland  army,  notwithstanding  its 
irregular  character,  behaved  with  much 
credit.  It  is  said  that  so  simple  were  the  poor 
Highlanders,  even  in  their  plundering,  that 
when  some  of  them  levelled  their  guns  at 
persons  whom  they  wished  to  "  stand  and 
deliver,"  on  being  asked  what  they  wanted, 
replied,  "  a  penny."  With  this  they  departed 
perfectly  satisfied. 

Charles,  after  his  success  at  Prestonpans, 
determined  against  the  advice  of  his  friends 
to  march  into  England.  It  appears  that 
with  all  his  popularity  but  400  of  the  towns- 
men followed  him,  and  in  fact,  his  recruits 
came  almost  wholly  from  the  North.  On  the 
3ist  of  Ocober,  Charles  Edward  left  Edin- 
burgh, destined  never  to  see  it  again,  except, 
as  tradition  states,  in  a  fugitive's  disguise. 

On  January  30,  Prince  William  —  son  of 


228  Old  Edinburgh 

George  II.,  and  Duke  of  Cumberland  —  who 
had  been  appointed  Commander-in-Chief  in 
Scotland,  arrived  in  Edinburgh  in  his  pur- 
suit of  Charles.  He  made  his  quarters  at 
Holyrood  Palace,  and  slept  in  the  same  bed 
that  Prince  Charles  had  occupied  but  a  short 
time  before.  On  April  i6th,  1746,  when  the 
"  Butcher  Cumberland  "  dealt  his  deadly 
blow  to  the  army  of  "  Bonnie  Prince  Charlie  " 
on  the  bloody  field  of  Culloden,  all  hopes  of 
the  Stuarts  regaining  the  throne  were  crushed 
for  ever. 

After  the  battle  a  species  of  triumphal 
ceremony  was  held  in  Edinburgh.  Fourteen 
of  the  banners  captured  from  the  Jacobite 
army  were  burnt  at  the  Market  Cross  with 
every  mark  of  contempt.  They  were  igno- 
miniously  borne  by  chimney-sweeps  to  the 
fire,  and  as  they  were  cast  thereon,  the  heralds 
proclaimed  the  names  of  the  commanders 
whose  insignia  they  had  been.  The  Prince's 
own  standard  was  especially  degraded  by 
being  borne  by  the  common  hangman.  This 
seems  rather  a  petty  revenge  against  fallen 
foemen  who  had  fought  gallantly  in  a  hope- 
less cause. 


The  Union  with  England          229 

It  touched  rather  a  tender  spot  in  the 
governmental  pride  that  the  city  had  been 
so  easily  captured  by  the  Highlanders. 
Instead  of  placing  the  blame  where  it  be- 
longed, upon  that  precious  pair  of  military 
inexperts,  Cope  and  Hawley,  Lord  Provost 
Stewart  was  selected  as  the  scapegoat,  partly 
because  of  his  name,  and  partly  because  it 
was  suspected  his  loyalty  was  not  of  the 
strongest.  He  was  arrested,  and  bail  was 
only  accepted  at  £15,000  sterling.  After  a 
long  trial  he  was  acquitted,  but  his  pro- 
tracted distress  of  mind  left  him  a  broken 
man. 

The  house  in  which  he  lived  was  suffi- 
ciently curious  to  warrant  a  description,  and 
is  thus  spoken  of  by  Sir  Daniel  Wilson :  — 
'  The  house  of  Provost  Stewart  was  a  very 
curious  old  building  in  the  West  Bow,  with  its 
main  entrance  at  the  foot  of  Donaldson's 
Close.  It  was  only  one  story  high,  in  addition 
to  the  attics,  on  the  north  side,  while  on  the 
south,  it  presented  a  lofty  front  to  the  Bow. 
This  building  stood  immediately  to  the  west 
of  Free  St.  John's  Church.  It  is  described  by 
Chambers  as  being  of  singular  construction, 


230  Old  Edinburgh 

and  as  full  of  curious  little  rooms,  concealed 
closets,  and  secret  stairs,  as  any  house  that 
ever  had  the  honour  of  being  haunted.  The 
north  wall,  which  still  remains  built  into  the 
range  of  shops  forming  the  new  terrace,  stood 
long  exposed  to  view,  affording  abundant 
evidence  of  this.  Little  closets  and  recesses 
are  excavated,  almost  like  a  honeycomb,  out 
of  the  solid  rock  behind,  many  of  which, 
however,  have  been  built  up  in  adapting  it  to 
its  new  purpose. 

"  In  one  of  the  rooms,"  says  Chambers, 
"  there  was  a  little  cabinet  about  three  feet 
high,  which  any  one  not  acquainted  with  the 
mysterious  arcana  of  ancient  houses,  would 
suppose  to  be  a  cupboard.  Nevertheless, 
under  this  modest,  simple,  and  unassuming 
disguise,  was  concealed  a  thing  of  no  less 
importance  than  a  trap  stair.  This  in- 
geniously contrived  passage  communicated 
behind  with  the  West  Bow,  and  according  to 
the  same  authority,  it  was  said  to  have 
afforded  on  one  occasion  a  safe  and  unsus- 
pected exit  to  Prince  Charles  and  some  of  his 
principal  officers,  who  were  enjoying  the 
hospitality  of  the  Jacobitical  Provost,  when 


The  Union  with  England          231 

an  alarm  was  given  that  a  troop  of  the  enemy 
from  the  Castle,  were  coming  down  the  Close 
to  seize  them.  This  curious  building  derives 
an  additional  interest  from  its  last  occupant, 
James  Donaldson,  the  wealthy  printer,  from 
whose  bequest  the  magnificent  hospital  that 
bears  his  name  has  been  erected  at  the  west 
end  of  the  town." 

The  romantic  career  of  the  handsome 
'  Young  Chevalier  "  made  deep  impression 
on  the  popular  fancy,  and  he  still  lives  in 
song  as  "Bonnie  Prince  Charlie;"  while 
"  Will  ye  no  come  back  again?  "  is  still  sung 
even  by  Britons  whose  loyalty  to  the  House 
of  Guelph  is  beyond  question. 

In  this  connection  a  curious  and  interesting 
fragment  by  an  unknown  author  has  come 
to  the  notice  of  the  writer,  which  may  equally 
pique  the  reader's  curiosity.  This  runs  as 
follows:  —  "Sir  Walter  Scott  knew  some- 
thing which  he  did  not  write  out  in  extenso, 
of  a  queer  notion  that  entered  into  the  head 
of  Charles  Edward  Stuart,  the  Prince  Charlie 
of  1745,  that  the  quarrel  between  the  Ameri- 
cans and  George  II.  afforded  an  opportunity 
to  revive  the  Stuart  empire  on  this  side  of  the 


232  Old  Edinburgh 

Atlantic.  Charles  Edward  was  fifty-five,  an 
exile  feeding  on  bitter  memories,  when  he 
conceived  the  idea  that  if  he  put  himself  at 
the  head  of  the  American  patriots,  he  might 
not  only  get  revenge  for  Culloden  on  the 
House  of  Hanover,  but  obtain  a  throne  in  the 
New  World.  Scott  says,  or  rather  intimates, 
that  Charles  Edward  felt  (sounded)  the 
inclinations  of  the  Scotch  in  America,  but 
that  they  were  not  cordial  to  his  cause,  and 
those  who  were  recent  comers,  his  defeated 
and  expatriated  partisans  or  their  children, 
rather  sided  with  King  George." 

With  the  end  of  the  Rebellion  of  1745, 
comes  practically  the  end  of  our  history  of 
the  "  Old  Town."  Her  later  history  will  be 
touched  upon  in  the  sections  which  follow. 


CHAPTER    X 

THE    CASTLE 

ALL  roads  in  Edinburgh  lead  to  the 
Castle,  which  exercises  the  same  attrac- 
tion upon  the  visitor  that  a  magnet  does  upon 
a  needle.  The  only  entrance  to  the  fortress  is 
by  the  Esplanade  on  the  east.  This  was  in 
the  seventeenth  and  early  part  of  the  eight- 
eenth century  the  favourite  promenade  for 
the  citizens  of  the  town.  In  olden  times  it 
was  a  high  and  narrow  ridge  connecting  the 
Castle  with  the  town,  and  here  many  an 
execution  took  place. 

It  is  stated  that  not  less  than  2,000  persons 
met  their  fate  on  this  ancient  ridge,  and  we 
may  quote  a  single  instance  when  in  1538 
the  Master  of  Forbes  and  fifteen  other  noble- 
men of  high  rank  were  here  put  to  death  for 
treason.  A  dozen  witches  at  a  time  were 
frequently  strangled  and  burnt  at  the  stake, 

233 


234  Old  Edinburgh 

and  here  also  some  of  the  earlier  Reformers 
suffered  death.  The  beautiful  young  Lady 
Jane  Douglas,  falsely  accused  by  a  rejected 
suitor  of  conspiring  against  the  life  of  James 
V.  by  sorcery,  was  here  barbarously  mur- 
dered. After  torture,  she  was  led  in  chains 
to  the  stake  and  burnt  alive,  her  husband  and 
son  witnessing  the  horrible  sight  from  the 
Castle,  where  they  were  confined  as  prisoners. 
Campbell  of  Skipness,  her  husband,  mad 
with  grief  and  horror,  attempted  to  escape 
that  night  and  was  dashed  to  pieces  on  the 
rocks  below. 

About  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury, this  narrow  ridge  was  made  broad  and 
level  by  the  earth  which  was  thrown  out  in 
digging  the  foundations  of  the  Royal  Ex- 
change. On  the  north  side  of  the  Esplanade 
is  a  bronze  statue  of  Frederick,  Duke  of  York 
and  Albany ;  and  the  monument  in  the  form 
of  a  Runic  cross  was  raised  in  memory  of 
those  of  the  7  8th  Ross-shire  Highlanders, 
who  died  in  India  during  the  Sepoy  Mutiny. 
There  are  also  memorials  to  those  of  the 
Gordon  Highlanders  and  Scottish  Horse  who 
fell  in  the  late  South- African  War. 


The  Castle  235 

«*  Above  the  gloomy  portal  arch, 
Timing  his  footsteps  to  a  march, 
The  warder  kept  his  guard." 

Crossing  the  drawbridge  above  the  old 
moat,  which  has  long  been  dry,  we  enter  the 
Castle;  and  this  old  moat,  by  the  way,  was 
formerly  filled  by  pumping  up  water  from  the 
Nor'  Loch.  The  new  battlemented  gateway 
through  which  we  pass,  was  built  in  1888  as 
a  successor  to  the  "  tall  embattled  port  "  of 
the  poet,  but  the  ponderous  iron-studded 
door,  evidently  of  great  antiquity,  still  re- 
mains. We  may  see  in  the  Antiquarian 
Museum  the  quaint  stone  carving  which 
formerly  stood  over  this  gateway,  on  which 
appear  ancient  ordance,  barrels  of  gun- 
powder and  balls,  with  a  gunner  charging  a 
queer  old  cannon.  This  doorway,  with  the 
guardhouse,  was  formerly  the  first  defence  of 
the  Castle;  the  "  Outer  Port,"  through  which 
the  foe  had  first  to  force  his  way.  It  is  said 
that  in  this  guard-room,  once  upon  a  time, 
there  was  a  staircase  communicating  with  a 
subterranean  passage  leading  to  Holyrood 
Palace.  This  is  not  improbable,  and  at  all 
events  sounds  interesting.  Even  once  within 


236  Old  Edinburgh 

this  entrance  the  visitor  will  readily  perceive 
that  the  pathway  of  the  invader  was  not 
strewn  with  roses,  for  behind  the  inner  de- 
fences, the  occupants  would  be  hospitably 
waiting  to  shower  upon  him  little  tokens  of 
their  esteem  in  the  way  of  variously  assorted 
missiles. 

Up  the  steep  causeway  we  climb  —  the 
rough  cobble-stones  with  which  it  is  paved 
making  it  rather  an  interesting  passage 
for  the  wearer  of  thin-soled  shoes  —  until 
we  reach  the  ancient  "  Portcullis  Gate " 
under  the  Argyll  Tower.  This  was  the  "  Gate 
Tower  "  originally  constructed  by  David  II., 
but  it  suffered  great  damage  during  the  time 
when  Kirkaldy  held  the  Castle  for  Queen 
Mary.  We  can  still  trace  the  recess  in  which 
the  "  pronged  portcullis "  was  hung  ever 
ready  to  be  dropped  to  bar  the  passage.  The 
arched  pend  has  provision  for  four  wood  and 
iron  gates,  while  the  walls,  which  show  evi- 
dence of  extreme  antiquity,  vary  from  ten  to 
seventeen  feet  in  thickness. 

In  this  tower,  the  two  Argylls,  father  and 
son,  were  imprisoned  successively  in  1661  and 
1685,  before  their  trial  and  execution  for  their 


The  Castle  237 

religious  belief.  Their  names  ever  since  then 
have  been  linked  with  the  ancient  building. 
The  Marquis  might  have  escaped  in  woman's 
dress,  but  at  the  last  moment,  just  as  he  was 
about  to  step  into  the  sedan  chair,  his  courage 
failed.  His  son,  however,  escaped  one  snowy 
evening  disguised  as  the  lackey  of  Lady 
Sophia  Lindsay  of  Balcarres,  his  step- 
daughter, who  had  come  to  bid  him  farewell. 
At  the  "  Outer  Port  "  the  sentry  roughly 
seized  his  arm,  which  naturally  so  startled 
Argyll  that  he  dropped  her  ladyship's  train 
which  he  was  bearing.  In  a  moment  his 
agitation  would  have  betrayed  him,  but 
Lady  Sophia  with  swift  feminine  resource- 
fulness slapped  him  over  the  face  with  the 
muddy  train  he  had  let  fall,  and  berated  him 
roundly  for  his  clumsiness.  This  so  amused 
the  sentry,  that  with  all  suspicion  allayed  he 
permitted  them  to  pass,  and  the  Earl  escaped 
to  Holland,  not  to  be  caught  again  for  three 
years.  Lord  Balcarres  also  was  confined  here, 
and  tradition  says  that  in  this  chamber  ap- 
peared to  him  the  apparition  of  his  comrade- 
in-arms  Claverhouse,  in  flowing  wig  and  glit- 
tering breastplate,  on  the  night  when  Dundee 
died  at  Killiecrankie. 


238  Old  Edinburgh 

This  same  chamber  over  the  archway, 
during  the  last  day  of  the  younger  Argyll, 
witnessed  the  scene  depicted  in  the  great 
fresco  in  the  lobby  of  the  House  of  Commons, 
entitled  "Argyll's  Last  Sleep."  Macaulay 
writes  of  this :  —  "So  effectually  had  religious 
faith  and  hope,  co-operating  with  natural 
courage  and  equanimity,  composed  his 
spirits,  that  on  the  very  day  he  was  to  die,  he 
dined  with  appetite,  conversed  with  gaiety 
at  table,  and  after  his  last  meal  lay  down,  as 
he  was  wont,  to  take  a  short  slumber,  in  order 
that  his  body  and  mind  might  be  in  full 
vigour  when  he  should  mount  the  scaffold. 
At  this  time  one  of  the  Lords  of  the  Council 
(supposed  to  have  been  Middleton) ,  who  had 
probably  been  bred  a  Presbyterian,  and  had 
been  seduced  by  interest  to  join  in  oppressing 
the  church  of  which  he  had  once  been  a  mem- 
ber, came  to  the  Castle  with  a  message  from 
his  brethren,  and  demanded  to  see  the  Earl. 
It  was  answered  that  the  Earl  was  asleep. 
The  Privy  Councillor  thought  that  this  was 
a  subterfuge,  and  insisted  on  entering.  The 
door  of  the  cell  was  softly  opened,  and  there 
lay  Argyll  on  the  bed,  sleeping  in  his  irons 
the  placid  sleep  of  infancy." 


The  Castle  239 

To  the  left,  after  passing  through  the  arch- 
way, is  a  stair  that  was  once  the  only  way  to 
the  citadel,  but  now  the  upper  platform  is 
more  easily  reached  by  a  roadway.  Further 
on,  on  the  right  is  the  Argyll  Battery  facing 
the  north,  named  after  John,  Duke  of  Argyll, 
Commander-in-Chief  in  Scotland  during  the 
Rebellion  of  1715.  The  old  Mylne's  Battery 
below  it  dates  back  to  1689. 

Overlooking  the  Castle  Terrace  on  the  west 
side,  is  the  ancient  postern  or  "  Sally-port," 
through  which  the  body  of  the  saintly  Queen 
Margaret  was  borne  in  1093,  on  its  way  to 
Dunfermline;  while  the  "  miraculous  mist  " 
hid  the  funeral  cortege  from  the  savage  eyes 
of  Donald  Bane  and  his  wild  horde  below. 
Up  to  this  same  "  Sally-port  "  the  famous 
Claverhouse,  Viscount  Dundee,  clambered 
in  his  armour,  while  the  drums  in  the  city 
were  beating  the  call  to  his  pursuit,  on  his 
fruitless  errand  to  induce  the  Duke  of  Gordon 
to  ride  north  with  him  and  arouse  the  High- 
land clans  to  fight  for  the  deposed  James.  A 
tablet  records  this  historical  conference. 

The  highest  plateau  of  rock,  the  citadel, 
contains  the  "  show  places."  The  portly 


240  Old  Edinburgh 

form  of  Mons  Meg,  which  it  would  seem 
mounts  guard  over  the  tiny  Chapel  of  St. 
Margaret,  stands  on  the  old  Bomb  Battery, 
now  known  as  the  King's  Bastion.  This 
famous  old  cannon,  "The  great  iron  murderer, 
Muckle  Meg,"  as  Cromwell's  list  of  captured 
guns  in  1650  has  it,  is  thirteen  feet  long, 
twenty  inches  in  diameter,  and  is  said  to 
weigh  nearly  60,000  pounds.  This  ancient 
national  relic  is  curiously  constructed  of  iron 
staves  bound  with  hoops  of  the  same  metal, 
and  is  the  oldest  cannon  in  Europe  save  one 
at  Lisbon.  Its  origin  and  name  are  matters 
of  controversy,  some  believing  that  it  was 
forged  at  Mons,  in  Flanders,  in  1476,  accord- 
ing to  the  date  it  bears.  Sir  Walter  Scott 
went  far  to  prove,  however,  that  it  was  the 
work  of  a  Galloway  smith  —  "  Brawny  Kim  " 
of  Mollance,  or  Mons  —  and  given  to  James 
II.  in  1455  by  the  M'Lellans  when  he  arrived 
at  Carlingwark,on  his  way  to  besiege  William, 
Earl  of  Douglas,  in  Threave  Castle.  It  would 
seem  unlikely,  when  we  consider  the  magni- 
tude of  the  task  in  making  so  great  a  gun  at 
this  early  date,  that  it  could  have  been 
achieved  by  a  country  smith  in  Galloway, 


The  Castle  241 

and  the  Exchequer  Rolls,  moreover,  show 
that  "  bombards  "  were  imported  by  the 
King  from  Flanders. 

"  Roaring  Meg  "  has  been  a  traveller  in 
her  day,  for  the  Exchequer  Accounts  prove 
that  this  great  gun,  with  vast  toil  and  trouble, 
was  dragged  to  old  wars  and  sieges  on  the 
Borders  and  in  the  West  Country.  Meg's 
voice  was  heard  at  the  siege  of  Dumbarton 
in  1489,  on  which  occasion  there  is  an  entry 
in  the  Treasurer's  books  of  eighteen  shillings 
for  drink-money  to  the  gunners,  and  she  also 
went  with  James  IV.  to  the  siege  of  Norham. 
Numerous  notices  in  early  records  show  that 
this  huge  cannon  was  held  in  high  estimation. 
Some  of  the  records  are  very  curious;  one 
made  during  the  reign  of  James  IV.,  when, 
apparently  during  some  national  festivity,  she 
was  taken  from  the  Castle  to  the  Abbey  of 
Holyrood,  reads :  —  "  Item,  to  the  menstrallis 
that  playit  befoir  Mons  down  the  gait, 
XI Vs. ;  Item,  giffen  for  VI I j  elle  of  claith,  to 
be  Mons  a  claith  to  covir  hir,IX  s.  IIIj  d. . . ." 

Perhaps  we  are  saying  a  great  deal  about 
Meg,  but  she  has  an  interesting  past.  She 
roared  loyally  when  the  marriage  of  Mary, 


242  Old  Edinburgh 

Queen  of  Scots,  to  the  Dauphin  was  cele- 
brated by  festivities  in  Edinburgh  on  the 
24th  of  April,  1558.  In  1682  while  firing  a 
salute  to  the  Duke  of  York  the  old  gun  burst. 
In  1745  Meg  was  taken  to  the  Tower  of  Lon- 
don and  there  remained  until  1829,  when, 
through  the  influence  of  Sir  Walter  Scott, 
she  was  returned  to  Edinburgh  by  George  IV. 
amid  great  rejoicing.  Now,  writh  a  pyramid 
of  huge  stone  cannon-balls  beside  her,  she 
rests  upon  her  laurels.  If  she  could  only  tell 
us  what  she  has  seen,  what  a  story  it  would 
be. 

On  the  highest  point  of  the  Castle  Rock  is 
St.  Margaret's  Chapel,  the  oldest  building  in 
Edinburgh,  and  also  the  smallest  church  in 
Britain.  This,  as  has  been  mentioned  else- 
where, was  built  by  the  beautiful  and  pious 
Margaret,  queen  of  Malcolm  Canmore.  In 
architecture  it  is  Early  Norman  but  with 
some  Saxon  details,  being  10  feet  in  width 
by  28  in  length..  Through  the  liberality  of 
the  late  William  Nelson,  the  publisher,  the 
ancient  chapel  has  been  completely  restored. 
Tradition  says  that  in  this  chapel  Edward  I. 
of  England  compelled  the  Abbot  of  Holy- 


The  Castle  243 

rood  and  other  Scottish  churchmen  to  swear 
fealty  to  him. 

The  door  to  the  Argyll  Tower  is  on  the 
right,  and  a  visit  should  be  made  to  the 
interior,  while  from  the  roof  the  view  is 
superb.  The  "  Half -Moon  Battery  "  on  the 
east  side  was  built  in  1574,  and  completely 
changed  the  appearance  of  the  Castle  from 
the  Castle  Hill,  as  will  be  seen  on  looking  at 
an  old  print  of  the  fortress  previous  to  this 
time.  The  cannon  on  the  left  of  the  clock 
is  the  "  One  O'Clock  Gun,"  which  may  be 
said  to  be  fired  from  Greenwich,  by  means  of 
an  electrical  connection  with  the  "  Time- 
ball  "  on  the  top  of  Nelson's  Monument. 

The  Palace  Yard  contains  almost  every- 
thing that  is  of  historical  interest  in  the 
Castle.  In  the  vaulted  Crown  Room  with 
its  heavy  oak-panelling,  guarded  by  a  massive 
iron  grating,  are  the  "  Honours  of  Scotland," 
as  the  Scottish  Regalia  is  called.  These 
relics  of  the  days  of  Scottish  independence 
comprise  the  Crown,  Sceptre,  Sword  of  State, 
and  the  Lord  High  Treasurer's  Rod  of  Office, 
together  with  four  other  memorials  of  the 
House  of  Stuart  which  belonged  to  the 


244  Old  Edinburgh 

venerable  Cardinal  York,  last  of  that  noble 
line.  These  are  the  golden  Collar  of  the 
Garter  with  its  appendage  the  George,  pre- 
sented by  Queen  Elizabeth  to  James  VI.; 
the  order  of  St.  Andrew,  cut  on  an  onyx,  and 
having  on  the  reverse  the  badge  of  the  Thistle 
which  opens  by  a  secret  spring,  revealing  a 
beautiful  miniature  of  Anne  of  Denmark; 
and  finally,  the  ancient  ruby  ring  set  with 
diamonds  which  the  kings  of  Scotland  wore 
at  their  coronation,  being  last  worn  by  the 
unhappy  Charles  I. 

The  golden  mace  of  the  Lord  High  Treas- 
urer is  like  the  sceptre  surmounted  by  a  great 
crystal  beryl.  A  crystal  or  beryl,  of  this 
kind,  called  in  Gaelic  "Clach-Bhuai "  or 
"  stone  of  power,"  is  said  to  have  been  the 
badge  of  the  Arch  Druid.  These  stones  on  the 
mace  and  sceptre  signify  an  almost  dateless 
antiquity.  The  Crown,  which  is  claimed  to 
date  back  to  the  age  of  Bruce,  is  said  to  have 
undergone  no  change  until  it  was  closed  with 
four  arches  by  order  of  James  V. 

The  Crown  is  of  pure  gold  enriched  with 
many  precious  stones  —  diamonds,  pearls, 
emeralds,  amethysts,  rubies,  sapphires,  and 


The  Castle  245 

topazes  —  and  curious  enamellings.  The 
great  pearl  in  its  apex  is  alleged  to  be  the 
same  which  was  found  in  the  Kellie  Burn,  a 
tributary  of  the  Ythan,  in  Aberdeenshire, 
and  was  "  so  large  and  beautiful  that  it  was 
esteemed  the  best  that  had  at  any  time  been 
found  in  Scotland."  Sir  Thomas  Menzies, 
Provost  of  Aberdeen,  obtaining  this  precious 
jewel,  presented  it  to  James  VI.,  who  in 
requital  "  gave  him  twelve  or  fourteen 
chaldron  of  victuals  about  Dunfermline,  and 
the  custom  of  certain  merchant  goods  during 
his  life." 

The  Sceptre,  which  was  made  in  Paris  for 
James  V.,  is  hexagonal  in  form  with  a  stem 
two  feet  long,  of  silver,  double  gilt,  and  has 
three  knobs  and  richly  engraved  sides.  The 
top  of  the  stem  bears  a  capital  of  embossed 
leaves,  with  three  small  statues  of  the  Virgin, 
St.  Andrew,  and  St.  James.  Between  each 
statue  rises  a  rullion  in  dolphin  form,  while 
the  splendid  beryl  which  surmounts  the 
whole  is  said  to  have  been  in  an  ancient 
Egyptian  sceptre  three  thousand  years  ago. 
It  is  claimed,  however,  by  some  antiquarians, 
that  this  jewel,  and  the  one  which  sur- 


246  Old  Edinburgh 

mounts  the  mace,  are  both  of  Druidic 
origin. 

The  Sword  of  State,  presented  by  'Pope 
Julius  II.  to  James  IV.  in  1507,  is  five  feet  in 
length.  The  scabbard  of  crimson  velvet  is 
richly  wrought  with  filigree  work  of  silver, 
representing  branches  with  oak  leaves  and 
acorns.  The  blade  bears  in  gold  the  inscrip- 
tion "  Julius  II.  P.,"  while  the  traverse  of 
the  jewelled  handle  is  in  the  form  of  two 
dolphins. 

These  national  relics  are  the  only  ancient 
Regalia  now  in  Britain,  owing  to  the  de- 
struction by  Cromwell  of  the  Crown  and 
Sceptre  of  England.  During  the  time  of  the 
Commonwealth,  it  was  feared  by  the  Scots 
Privy  Council  that  the  "  Honours  of  Scot- 
land "  might  share  the  same  fate,  so  they 
sent  them  to  the  Castle  of  Dunnottar.  They 
were  from  thence  carried  out  hidden  in  a 
bundle  of  flax  on  a  woman's  back,  and 
buried  beneath  the  pulpit  of  Kinneff  Church 
in  the  Mearns,  where  they  remained  until 
after  the  Restoration. 

When  the  Union  of  the  Kingdoms  came 
about,  the  Privy  Council,  believing  that  they 


The  Castle  247 

would  be  removed  to  England,  concealed 
them  in  Edinburgh  Castle.  They  were  placed 
in  the  huge  old  iron-bound  oak  chest  —  still 
to  be  seen  in  the  Crown  Room  —  and  sealed 
up  in  a  vaulted  chamber,  with  an  order  that 
the  door  should  never  be  opened.  There 
they  remained  for  no  years,  until  it  gradu- 
ally came  to  be  believed  that  they  had  been 
secretly  taken  to  England  at  the  time  of  the 
Union  and  broken  up.  To  confirm  this 
belief,  in  1794  the  sealed  room  had  been 
entered  in  a  search  for  some  Crown  papers, 
and  the  chest  in  which  tradition  said  the 
Regalia  had  been  put,  was  actually  shaken, 
but  gave  forth  no  sound. 

Sir  Walter  Scott,  however,  came  into 
possession  of  certain  facts  which  convinced 
him  that  the  ancient  legend  was  not  an  idle 
one,  and  through  his  efforts  the  Regent 
issued  an  order  to  the  Scots  Officers  of  State, 
Sir  Walter  being  one  of  these,  to  enter 
the  so-called  Crown  Room,  and  by  opening 
the  chest,  to  finally  decide  the  question. 
Accordingly  on  February  4th,  1818,  a  com- 
mission consisting  of  some  of  the  principal 
Scots  officials,  including  Sir  Walter,  entered 


248  Old  Edinburgh 

the  Crown  Room  accompanied  by  a  smith, 
who  forced  the  lock  of  the  ancient  chest. 
Within  it,  they  found  to  the  delight  of  all, 
wrapped  in  dusty  linen  but  safe  and  un- 
harmed, the  long-lost  "  Honours  of  Scot- 
land." The  glad  tidings  were  quickly  spread 
to  the  waiting  crowd  outside,  the  Castle  guns 
thundered  a  salute,  and  the  greatest  joy 
prevailed.  In  evidence  of  the  veneration 
with  which  Scott  regarded  these  ancient 
symbols,  Lockhart  says :  — 

"  On  the  5th  February  Scott  and  some  of 
his  brother  Commissioners  revisited  the 
Castle  accompanied  by  the  ladies  of  their 
families.  His  daughter  tells  me  (Lockhart) 
that  her  father's  conversation  had  worked 
her  feelings  up  to  such  a  pitch,  that,  when  the 
lid  was  again  removed,  she  nearly  fainted, 
and  drew  back  from  the  circle.  As  she  did  so, 
she  was  startled  by  his  voice,  exclaiming  in  a 
tone  of  deepest  emotion,  "  No,  by  God,  no!  " 
One  of  the  Commissioners,  not  quite  entering 
into  the  solemnity  with  which  Scott  regarded 
this  business,  had,  it  seems,  made  a  sort  of 
motion  as  if  he  meant  to  put  the  Crown  upon 
the  head  of  one  of  the  young  ladies  near  him ; 


The  Castle  249 

but  the  voice  and  aspect  of  the  great  poet 
were  more  than  enough  to  make  the  worthy 
gentleman  understand  his  error."  By  the 
Treaty  of  Union  the  Regalia  of  Scotland  must 
never  more  be  used,  but  be  kept  constantly 
in  Edinburgh  Castle. 

"  Lord  Jesu  Chryst  that  crounit  was  with  Thornse, 
Preserve  the  Birth  quhais  Badgie  Heir  is  borne, 
And  send  Hir  Sonne  successione  to  Reigne  stille, 
Lang  in  this  Realme,  if  that  it  be  Thy  Will : 
Als  grant,  O  Lord,  quhat  ever  of  Hir  proceed 
Be  to  Thy  Honer  and  Praise  ;  Sobied. 
19th  IVNII,  1566." 

This  ancient  inscription,  surmounted  by  the 
arms  of  Scotland,  is  still  extant  on  the  wall 
of  Queen  Mary's  bedroom,  where  James  VI. 
was  bom. 

This  tiny  chamber  on  the  ground  floor,  at 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  quadrangle,  is 
known  as  Queen  Mary's  Room,  and  is  part 
of  the  ancient  royal  apartments.  Over  the 
doorway  is  a  tablet  bearing  the  initials  H 
and  M  conjoined,  with  the  date  1566,  stand- 
ing for  Henry  (Darnley),  and  Mary,  father 
and  mother  of  James  VI.,  who  was  born  here 


250  Old  Edinburgh 

on  June  ipth  of  that  year.  This  date  does 
not  however  indicate  the  age  of  the  building, 
which  must  have  been  erected  at  a  much 
earlier  period,  the  tablet  above  mentioned 
very  probably  dating  from  the  time  of  James 
VI.  It  was  here  that  Mary  of  Guise,  Queen 
Mary's  mother,  died  in  1560. 

This  bedroom,  or  rather  closet,  is  but  eight 
feet  long,  and  most  irregularly  shaped.  It 
gives  striking  evidence,  as  do  many  other 
rooms  which  the  tourist  may  see,  of  the 
cramped  living  accommodations  to  which  even 
royalty  was  forced  to  submit  in  the  Middle 
Ages.  The  word  room  is  a  misnomer,  for  they 
are  certainly  in  no  sense  "  roomy."  These 
ancient  abodes  of  royalty  have  apparently 
furnished  a  model  to  the  builder  of  some 
modern  city  flats,  in  which  the  imposing 
entrance  hall  and  one  or  two  rooms  impress 
the  visitor  with  awed  admiration,  while  the 
bedrooms  are  mere  gloomy  "  cubby-holes  " 
with  not  space  to  "  swing  a  cat  "  in,  should 
one  be  addicted  to  that  pleasing  form  of  ex- 
ercise. To  the  ancient  kitchen,  however,  was 
devoted  ample  space,  which  was  necessary 
from  the  bountiful,  if  rude  hospitality  of  the 
times. 


The  Castle  251 

Queen  Mary's  Room  was  formerly  panelled 
in  oak  throughout,  but  after  being  used  for 
years  as  the  canteen  drinking-room,  this  was 
renewed  with  ancient  wainscoting  from  the 
Guise  Palace  in  Blyth  Close.  Joseph  Taylor, 
Barrister  of  the  Inner  Temple,  an  English 
traveller  who  visited  Edinburgh  in  1705, 
says:  —  "We  were  carry 'd  into  the  room 
where  King  James  The  First  of  England  was 
born,  but  there  was  nothing  remarkable  in  it 
except  a  Tub  of  small  Scotch  Ale,  which  the 
Man  that  show'd  obliged  us  to  tast,  that  we 
might  have  the  honour  to  drink  in  the  room 
where  a  King  was  born." 

The  oak-panelled  ceiling,  however,  remains 
just  as  Queen  Mary's  eyes  saw  it,  with  the 
initials  I.  R.  and  M.  R.  in  alternate  squares 
surmounted  by  the  royal  crown.  There 
were  formerly  balconies  outside  the  windows 
of  the  large  adjoining  room  from  which  Mary 
could  enjoy  the  magnificent  view,  and  doubt- 
less she  often  looked  down  from  these  on 
many  a  splendid  spectacle.  The  view  from 
the  windows  over  the  city  and  its  environs  is 
superb. 

Even    the    most   hardened   tourist    must 


252  Old  Edinburgh 

express  some  sign  of  admiration  when  he 
enters  the  Old  Parliament  Hall,  which  occu- 
pies the  whole  south  side  of  the  Palace  Yard. 
This  noble  hall,  which  is  84  feet  long,  33  feet 
wide,  and  with  its  open  timber  roof  45  feet 
high,  was  lost  to  sight  for  years,  having  been 
converted  into  a  hospital  for  the  garrison. 
Now,  thanks  to  the  generosity  of  William 
Nelson,  a  loyal  citizen  of  Edinburgh,  it  shines 
forth  again  in  much  of  its  ancient  grandeur. 
The  lofty  beams  of  the  oaken  roof,  enriched 
by  carved  shields  emblazoned  with  arms,  are 
in  perfect  accordance  with  the  air  of  royal 
dignity  which  pervades  the  whole.  The 
windows  of  coloured  glass  bear  the  arms  of 
the  Scottish  sovereigns,  and  of  leaders  in 
Scottish  history  to  Reformation  times.  The 
walls  now  bear  a  splendid  collection  of  Scot- 
tish arms  and  accoutrements.  The  beautiful 
Doune  steel  pistols  formerly  carried  by  the 
Scots  nobles  will  particularly  excite  a  lively 
sense  of  covetousness  in  the  mind  of  the 
collector,  but  it  may  be  added  that  they  are 
very  securely  fastened  to  the  wall. 

Here  formerly  assembled  Parliament,  and 
it  was  the  scene  of  many  grand  banquets, 


The  Castle  253 

for  which  it  was  chiefly  used.  Here  the  six- 
year-old  James  II.  was  proclaimed  King, 
on  the  2oth  of  March,  1437,  anc^  here  the 
"  black  dinour "  was  given  to  the  young 
Earl  of  Douglas  and  his  brother,  when  the 
black  bull's  head,  symbol  of  their  speedy 
death,  was  placed  before  them  on  the  board. 
Balfour  says  they  were  beheaded  in  this 
hall.  Charles  L,  in  1633,  and  Oliver  Crom- 
well, in  1648,  were  entertained  here  with 
magnificent  feasts.  This  floor  has  felt  the 
martial  tread  of  mail-clad  warriors,  and  the 
dainty  foot-fall  of  beauties  of  the  Court, 
many  times  and  oft.  From  these  old  win- 
dows, many  fair  dames  and  gallant  knights 
have  looked  down  upon  the  stirring  scenes 
on  the  tilting-ground,  where  the  Grassmarket 
is  now.  A  secret  staircase  led  from  the 
Banqueting  Hall  to  the  Royal  Lodging,  and 
the  "  lug "  in  the  wall  where  the  eaves- 
dropper —  royal  or  otherwise  —  could  over- 
hear what  passed  in  the  great  hall,  is  still  to 
be  seen. 

In  an  angle  of  the  ramparts  is  the  "  dogs' 
cemetery,"  where  the  pets  of  the  regiments 
quartered  here  have  been  buried,  and  we  read 


254  Old  Edinburgh 

touching  little  memorials  to  their  fidelity :  — 
"  In  memory  of  Pat,  who  followed  the  72nd 
Highlanders  in  peace  and  war  for  10  yrs. 
Died  9th  March,  1888."  "  Let  Sleeping 
Dogs  Lie.  In  memory  of  York,  ist  Seaforth 
Highlanders." 

On  the  bank  in  the  West  Princes  Street 
Gardens,  below  the  Castle,  is  a  curious  stone 
brought  from  Norway  in  1787.  It  bears  a 
Runic  cross  encircled  by  a  serpent-shaped 
inscription,  and  the  runic  legend  reads  :  — 
"  Ari,  son  of  Hjalm,  to  preserve  among  his  fel- 
lows his  father's  deeds,  inscribed  this  stone." 
Further  along,  the  lines  of  a  low  built 
up  archway  will  attract  attention,  and  this 
is  said  by  some  to  have  been  the  lion's  den, 
for  several  of  the  Scottish  kings  kept  those 
noble  beasts.  It  is,  in  all  probability  the 
entrance  to  the  secret  passage  which  ran 
down  to  St.  Giles  and  Holyrood,  by  means  of 
which  Kirkaldy  of  Grange  obtained  his  sup- 
plies during  the  time  he  held  the  Castle  three 
years  for  Queen  Mary. 

Below  the  Castle  Rock,  in  the  Gardens,  are 
the  ancient  remains  of  the  Wellhouse  Tower, 
erroneously  often  called  "  Wallace's  Tower." 


The  Castle  255 

This  was  originally  a  protection  for  an  un- 
failing spring  of  water  which  in  time  of  siege 
supplied  the  garrison,  and  from  this  point 
started  the  first  city  wall.  When  some  years 
ago  a  portion  of  this  tower  was  removed 
owing  to  its  ruinous  condition,  a  flight  of 
steps  cut  in  the  solid  rock  was  discovered. 


CHAPTER    XI 

THE    CASTLE    HILL   AND    LAWNMARKET 

/CASTLE  Hill  is  the  oldest  part  of  Edin- 
^»- '  burgh,  having  been  edificed  for  nearly 
ten  centuries.  Before  the  use  of  gunpowder, 
it  was  considered  desirable  to  build  dwellings 
as  near  the  Castle  as  possible  for  the  purpose 
of  protection.  Around  all  strongholds  at  this 
period  clustered  the  houses  of  the  towns- 
people, like  chickens  trying  to  creep  in  under 
the  wings  of  a  motherly  hen.  Castle  Hill  con- 
tinued to  be  the  residence  of  the  Scottish 
nobility  up  to  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  in  the  reign  of 
Charles  I.,  the  soil  of  the  Castle  Hill  was 
converted  by  a  royal  mandate  into  the  soil 
of  Nova  Scotia.  The  Earl  of  Stirling  had 
received  from  King  James  L,  in  1621,  a 
charter  granting  him  an  immense  tract  of 
land  in  North  America,  consisting  of  the 

266 


The  Castle  Hill  and  Lawnmarket    257 

larger  part  of  the  northern  portion  of  the 
United  States,  Canada,  and  the  neighbouring 
islands. 

This  territory,  many  times  larger  than  the 
whole  United  Kingdom,  was  called  Nova 
Scotia.  The  Earl  of  Stirling  made  no  use  of 
his  grant  until  1625,  when  he  felt  the  spirit 
move  him  to  sell  part  of  his  foreign  domain. 
The  purchasers,  on  payment  of  ^150  sterling 
each,  became  "  Baronets  of  Nova  Scotia  " 
and  were  entitled  to  a  grant  of  land  three 
miles  long  by  two  miles  broad,  over  which 
they  held  the  power  of  pit  and  gallows. 

The  difficulty  of  infeoffing  the  knights  in 
their  distant  possessions  was  overcome  by 
the  mandate  of  King  Charles  aforesaid, 
whereby  the  soil  of  Castle  Hill  —  the  site  of 
the  Esplanade  —  magically  became  the  soil 
of  Nova  Scotia.  Between  1625  and  1649 
sixty-four  of  these  baronets  were  invested 
with  their  honours  on  this  spot. 

In  the  wall  of  the  first  house  facing  the 
Castle  on  the  right  may  be  seen  a  cannon- 
ball,  said  to  have  been  fired  from  the  Castle 
during  the  blockade  in  1745  when  the  Young 
Chevalier's  Highlanders  held  the  town.  On 


258  Old  Edinburgh 

the  pediment  of  a  dormer  window  we  read 
the  date  1630,  and  the  initials  A.  M.,  M.  N. 
This  house  with  its  immediate  neighbours 
form  a  picturesque  and  interesting  group,  all 
showing  evidence  of  former  magnificence. 

On  the  north  slope  of  the  Castle  Hill  where 
now  stands  the  University  Hall,  was  the  site 
of  "  Honest  Allan  "  Ramsay's  "  goose-pie  " 
house,  as  the  wags  of  the  day  called  it.  Allan 
complained  one  day  to  the  witty  Lord  Eli- 
bank  regarding  this  comparison,  who  replied, 
"  Indeed,  Allan,  now  I  see  ye  in  it,  I  think 
they  are  no  far  wrang." 

Ramsay  applied  to  the  Crown  for  a  plot  of 
land  large  enough  to  "  build  a  cage  for  his 
burd,"  as  he  affectionately  called  his  wife, 
and  when  the  house  was  completed  in  1743  it 
is  said  to  have  resembled  nothing  so  much  as 
an  "  old  parrot-cage."  The  poet  was  very 
proud  of  his  new  mansion,  however,  which 
had  such  a  splendid  view  of  the  Firth  of  Forth, 
and  Fife  and  Stirling  shires,  but  his  wife,  we 
regret  to  say,  did  not  live  to  share  the  cozy 
"  bield."  When  the  fine  University  Hall  was 
built  Ramsay's  house  was  incorporated  in  it. 

In  Blair's  Close,  the  first  on  the  right  of 


The  Castle  Hill  and  Lawnmarket    259 

the  Castle  Hill,  was  once  the  fine  town 
mansion  of  George,  Duke  of  Gordon,  and 
here  lived  his  Duchess  while  he  held  the 
Castle  for  King  James  at  the  Revolution  of 
1689.  Little  remains  now  of  the  exterior, 
but  within  there  are  still  some  remains  of 
former  magnificence.  Originally  the  house 
throughout  was  finished  with  fine  wooden 
panelling,  of  which  some  still  remains,  par- 
ticularly in  the  large  room  overlooking  the 
Esplanade.  This  room  is  richly  decorated 
with  elaborate  carvings  and  gilding,  and  over 
the  mantel  is  a  large  landscape  painting  on  a 
panel,  the  work  of  Norrie,  a  famous  Scottish 
artist  and  decorator  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury. 

After  the  death  of  the  Duchess  here  in 
1732,  it  became  the  property  of  the  Bairds 
of  Newbyth,  and  here,  the  6th  December, 
1757,  David  Baird,  the  hero  of  Seringapatam, 
and  conqueror  of  Tippoo  Saib,  was  born. 
From  his  boyhood  extremely  restless  and 
pugnacious,  we  may  appreciate  the  remark 
of  his  mother,  who,  when  it  was  reported  that 
he  had  been  taken  prisoner,  said,  "  Lord  pity 
the  chiel  that's  chained  to  oor  Davie." 


260  Old  Edinburgh 

Over  a  doorway  on  the  right  of  the  entrance 
into  Boswell's  Court  (so  named  from  a  Dr. 
Boswell,  cousin  of  "  Bozzy,"  Johnson's  biog- 
rapher) is  the  inscription,  "  O  LORD.  IN. 
THE.  IS.  AL.  MI.  TRAIST."  This  doorway, 
says  tradition,  belonged  to  the  mansion  of 
the  Earls  of  Bothwell. 

The  massive  old  mansion  of  the  Barons 
Sempill  of  Castle  Sempill  still  stands  in 
Sempill's  Close.  Over  the  doorway  of  the 
projecting  octagonal  turnpike  stair  is  the 
inscription,  "  PRAISED  BE  THE  LORD 
MY  GOD,  MY  STRENGTH,  AND  MY 
REDEEMER.  ANNO  DOM.  1638,"  and 
a  device  like  an  anchor  entwined  with  the 
letter  S.  Over  another  doorway  which  gives 
entrance  to  the  lower  part  of  the  house,  we 
may  read  "  SEDES  MANET  OPTIMA 
CCELO,"  with  the  date  and  device  repeated. 
This  ancient  family  is  associated  in  various 
ways  with  Scottish  song.  John,  son  of  Robert, 
the  third  lord,  married  one  of  "  the  Queen's 
Maries."  Their  son,  Sir  James,  an  ambassa- 
dor to  England  in  1599,  wrote  the  clever 
satire,  "  The  Packman's  Paternoster."  His 
son,  Robert,  was  the  author  of  "  The  Piper 


The  Castle  Hill  and  Lawnmarket    261 

of  Kilbarchan,"  while  his  grandson,  Francis 
Sempill,  wrote  the  famous  old  song,  "  Maggie 
Lauder." 

In  the  United  Free  Church  College  Quad- 
rangle to  which  Ramsay  Lane  will  lead  us, 
stands  a  fine  statue  of  John  Knox,  by  John 
Hutchinson,  R.  S.  A.,  which  was  unveiled 
in  May,  1896. 

The  mansion  of  Ramsay  of  Cockpen,  the 
"  Laird  o'  Cockpen,"  is  said  to  have  stood 
where  now  is  the  eastern  end  of  the  city 
reservoir.  The  Laird's  chief  claim  to  celebrity 
seems  to  rest  on  the  story  of  his  wooing, 
which  is  told  amusingly  as  follows :  — 

"  The  Laird  o'  Cockpen  he's  proud  and  he's  great ; 
His  mind  is  ta'en  up  wi'  the  things  o'  the  state : 
He  wanted  a  wife  his  braw  house  to  keep  ; 
But  favour  wi'  wooin'  was  fashious  to  seek. 

"  Doun  by  the  dyke-side  a  leddy  did  dwell; 
At  his  table-head  he  thocht  she'd  look  well ; 
McClish's  ae  dochter  o'  Clavers-ha'  Lea,  — 
A  pennyless  lass  wi'  a  lang  pedigree. 

"  His  wig  was  weel  pouther'd,  and  maist  guid  as  new, 
His  waistcoat  was  white,  and  his  coat  it  was  blue ; 
He  put  on  a  ring,  a  sword,  and  cock'd  hat : 
And  wha  could  refuse  the  Laird  wi'  a' that? 


262  Old  Edinburgh 

"  Retook  the  gray  mare  and  rade  cannilie, 
And  rapp'd  at  the  yett  o'  Claverse-ha'  Lea ; 
1  Gae  tell  Mistress  Jean  to  come  speedily  ben ; 
She's  wanted  to  speak  wi'  the  Laird  o'  Cockpen.' 

11  Mistress  Jean  she  was  makin'  the  elder-flower  wine  ; 
'  And  what  brings  the  Laird  at  sic  a  like  time  ?  ' 
She  put  aff  her  apron,  and  on  her  silk  goun, 
Her  mutch  wi'  red  ribbons,  and  gaed  awa'  doun. 

"  And,  when  she  came  ben,  he  bowed  f  u'  low ; 
And  what  was  his  errand  he  soon  let  her  know  ; 
Amazed  was  the  Laird  when  the  lady  said '  Na,' 
And  wi'  a  laich  curtesy  she  turned  awa'. 

"  Dumfoundered  he  was,  but  nae  sigh  did  he  gie : 
He  mounted  his  mare,  and  he  rade  cannilie  ; 
And  af  ten  he  thocht  as  he  gaed  through  the  glen, 
'  She's  daft  to  refuse  the  Laird  o'  Cockpen.' " 

On  the  corner  of  Johnston  Terrace  is  the 
Tolbooth  Parish  Church  or  General  Assembly 
Hall,  a  building  in  the  Pointed  Gothic  style 
erected  in  1844.  Here  is  held  yearly  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Church  of  Scotland, 
and  at  the  meeting  time  in  May,  black-frocked 
ministers  and  elders  swarm  about  this  corner 
like  bees.  Here  once  stood  the  houses  of  the 
great  Marquis  of  Argyll,  and  of  the  Earls  of 
Cassillis,  the  "  Kings  of  Carrick." 


The  Castle  Hill  and  Lawnmarket    263 

Where  now  the  United  Free  Church  build- 
ings stand,  was  once  the  Palace  of  Mary  of 
Guise,  Regent  of  Scotland,  and  mother  of 
Queen  Mary.  It  was  probably  erected  after 
Holyrood  was  burned  by  the  English  in  1544. 
Although  the  Guise  Palace  had  its  main  door- 
way half-way  down  a  close,  its  external 
decoration  surpassed  anything  in  the  city 
and  its  view  to  the  northward  was  superb. 
In  large  letters  over  the  main  doorway  was 
inscribed  "  LAUS  HONOR  DEO,"  with 
the  King's  initials  I.  R.  at  the  respective 
ends  of  the  lintel,  and  the  date  1590,  evidently 
of  later  addition. 

Of  this  exceedingly  interesting  old  structure 
much  might  be  written,  but  our  space  forbids. 
Its  interior  was  most  curiously  arranged,  and 
the  fittings  and  decorations  were  magnificent. 
There  were  within  the  house  many  ornate 
Gothic  niches  for  sacred  images,  fine  fire- 
places, and  beautiful  oaken  doorways  and 
panels.  Some  of  these  latter  are  to  be  seen 
in  the  Museum  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries. 
On  the  principal  doorway,  now  in  this 
museum,  are  fine  portraits  of  James  V.  and 
Mary  of  Guise. 


264  Old  Edinburgh 

Nearly  all  the  rooms  had  wagon-shaped 
ceilings  painted  in  rich  arabesques,  with 
beautiful  designs  of  flowers  and  fruit  sur- 
rounding panels  in  Gothic  letters,  while 
heraldic  devices  surmounted  the  initials  of 
James  and  Mary,  I.  R.  x  M.  R.  One  room  in 
the  palace  was  called  the  Queen's  Dead 
Room,  and  was  entirely  painted  in  black. 
Here  the  noble  occupants  lay  in  state  while 
awaiting  burial.  There  was  inside  the  ora- 
tory connected  with  the  palace,  a  draw-well 
to  supply  water  to  the  household.  In  this 
palace  the  Queen-Mother  and  her  little 
daughter,  the  Queen  of  Scots,  lived  at  inter- 
vals before  Mary  was  sent  to  France.  After 
this,  Mary  of  Guise  lived  much  here  during 
the  remainder  of  her  life.  After  the  murder 
of  Rizzio,  Queen  Mary  lived  here  for  a  time, 
no  doubt  considering  it  doubly  safe  by  reason 
of  its  nearness  to  the  Castle,  and  from  its 
secret  chamber.  A  movable  panel  gave 
entrance  to  this  chamber,  the  exit  from 
which  wound  around  the  wall  of  a  spiral 
staircase.  This  hiding  place  was  only  dis- 
covered when  the  palace  was  torn  down  to 
make  room  for  the  Free  Church  College. 


§ 


The  Castle  Hill  and  Lawnmarket    265 

On  the  front  of  a  fine  old  stone  "  land  " 
which  formerly  stood  at  the  head  of  Blyth's 
Close,  wherein  was  the  Guise  Palace,  was  the 
inscription  "  LAVS  DEO,"  with  the  date 
1591,  in  curiously  wrought  iron  letters.  This 
building  was  the  residence  of  a  succession  of 
wealthy  burgesses,  but  its  chief  interest  lies 
in  the  remarkable  decorations  of  its  interior. 
There  is  reason  to  believe  that  this  house 
originally  was  part  of  the  Guise  Palace. 

Some  years  ago  there  was  discovered  under 
a  modern  lath  and  plaster  ceiling  in  a  room 
on  the  second  floor,  a  series  of  sacred  paintings 
on  wood,  of  a  very  curious  and  interesting 
character.  A  little  boy  first  drew  attention 
to  these  hidden  pictures,  by  saying  that  he 
could  see  a  glittering  star  through  a  hole  in 
the  ceiling.  Upon  investigation,  there  was 
found  an  upper  arched  ceiling,  with  a  large 
circular  compartment  containing  a  figure  of 
our  Saviour  with  a  radiance  around  His  head, 
and  His  left  hand  resting  on  a  royal  orb. 
Around  the  encircling  border  were  the  words 
in  gilded  Roman  letters  on  a  rich  blue  ground, 
"  EGO.  SUM.  VIA.  VERITAS.  ET.  VITA, 
14  JOHNE."  ("  I  am  the  Way,  the  Truth, 
and  the  Life.") 


266  Old  Edinburgh 

The  paintings  in  the  larger  compartments 
represented  Jacob's  Dream,  Christ  asleep  in 
the  storm,  the  Baptism  of  Christ,  and  the 
Vision  of  Death  from  the  Apocalypse,  sur- 
mounted by  the  symbols  of  the  Evangelists. 
The  distant  view  of  the  Lake  of  Galilee  in 
the  second  picture,  presented  an  amusing 
liberty  taken  by  the  artist  with  his  subject. 
It  consisted  of  a  view  of  Edinburgh  from  the 
north,  terminating  with  Salisbury  Crags  on 
the  left,  and  the  old  Castle  on  the  right. 
The  steeples  of  the  old  Weigh-House  and  the 
Nether-Bow  Port  were  also  introduced. 

The  fifth  and  most  curious  picture,  exhib- 
ited an  allegorical  representation  of  the  Chris- 
tian life.  A  ship  of  antique  form  was  seen 
in  full  sail,  bearing  on  its  stern  and  pennon 
the  symbol  IHS.  A  crowned  figure  stood  on 
the  deck  looking  towards  a  burning  city  in 
the  distance,  and  above  him  the  sign  "  V. 
IE,.,"  a  contraction  for  Vita  Sterna  (Life 
Eternal).  On  the  mainsail  was  the  word 
"  CARITAS,"  and  on  the  stern,  which  was 
in  the  fashion  of  an  ancient  galley,  was  in- 
scribed "  (Sa)piencia." 

Death  appeared  as  a  skeleton  riding  on  a 


The  Castle  Hill  and  Lawnmarket    267 

dark  horse  amid  the  waves  immediately  in 
front  of  the  vessel,  armed  with  a  bow  and 
arrow  which  he  pointed  at  the  figure  in  the 
ship.  A  figure  entitled  Persecutio,  similarly 
armed  and  mounted  on  a  huge  dragon,  with 
above  him  a  winged  demon  over  which  was 
the  word  Diabolus,  followed  in  the  wake  of 
the  vessel.  In  the  midst  of  these  perils  there 
was  seen  in  the  sky  a  radiance  surrounding  the 
word  m!T,  the  Hebrew  symbol  for  Jehovah, 
and  from  this  symbol  of  the  Deity  a  hand 
issued,  taking  hold  of  a  line  attached  to  the 
stern  of  the  vessel. 

The  whole  series  was  beautifully  executed, 
while  between  the  broad  borders  were  rich 
decorations  of  flowers  in  every  variety,  fruit, 
birds,  harpies,  and  fancy  devices  dividing 
the  ceiling  into  irregular  square  and  round 
compartments,  with  raised  gilded  stars  at 
their  intersections.  The  ceiling  was  much 
injured  by  damp  and  decay,  but  fortunately 
a  few  of  the  pictures  were  secured  and  pre- 
served by  zealous  antiquarians. 

In  Mylne's  Court,  built  about  1690,  was 
the  residence  of  Robert  Mylne,  the  seventh 
Royal  Master  Mason,  and  father  of  the 


268  Old  Edinburgh 

architect  of  Blackfriar's  Bridge,  London.  In 
this  court  many  of  the  rooms  still  contain 
fine  old  oaken  panellings  and  ceilings.  Here 
was  also  the  mansion  of  the  Lairds  of  Comis- 
ton,  and  over  the  entrance  to  the  stair  is  the 
inscription  most  popular  of  all  the  pious 
mottoes  to  be  seen  over  the  old  doorways: 
"  BLISSIT.  BE.  GOD.  IN.  AL.  HIS. 
GIFTIS.,"  with  the  date  1580.  These  "  guid 
words  whilk  trew  men  carvit  in  stane  aboon 
their  doors  at  hame,"  were  an  appeal  for 
benediction  or  protection  in  an  age  which 
was  both  very  religious  and  very  super- 
stitious. 

The  West  Bow,  nearly  opposite  the  Guise 
Palace,  was  the  "  Little  Britain  "  of  Edin- 
burgh —  a  steep  and  narrow  winding  way,  in 
shape  a  perfect  Z.  It  was  lined  on  either 
side  with  tall  antique  houses  whose  projecting 
gables,  filled  with  old  inscriptions  and  carv- 
ings, overhung  the  footway.  Up  this  pic- 
turesque thoroughfare  passed  with  quaint 
ceremonials  the  state  processions  of  dif- 
ferent monarchs,  and  down  it  were  hurried 
many  unfortunates  to  die  in  the  Grassmarket 
below.  In  more  modern  times  it  was  chiefly 


HEAD   OF    WEST    BOW,   LAWNMARKET,    IN    1830. 


The  Castle  Hill  and  Lawnmarket    269 

notable  as  a  nest  of  those  noisy  craftsmen, 
the  white-iron,  or  tin-smiths,  whom  Fergusson 
refers  to  as, 

«  The  tinkler  billies  of  the  Bow." 

At  the  head  of  the  West  Bow  was  one  of  the 
most  picturesque  houses  in  Edinburgh,  and 
its  removal  is  greatly  to  be  regretted.  This 
was  a  fine  example  of  the  old  timber-fronted 
houses  in  which  each  story  projected  from 
that  below.  In  the  West  Bow  was  the  curi- 
ous house  of  Lord  Provost  Stewart  which 
we  have  elsewhere  mentioned.  Here  were 
also  the  Templar  Lands,  and  the  first  Assem- 
bly Rooms  opened  in  1710.  The  mansion  of 
Lord  Ruthven,  the  principal  agent  in  Rizzio's 
murder,  stood  here,  and  long  afterwards  his 
sword  was  found  hidden  under  the  floor. 

Not  the  least  in  celebrity  of  those  who 
dwelt  in  this  historic  thoroughfare,  was  the 
famous  wizard,  Major  Weir.  Tradition  has 
it  that  after  his  death  the  major  was  often 
seen  to  issue  from  his  close  and  gallop  up  the 
Bow,  mounted  on  a  headless  black  horse,  and 
enveloped  in  flames.  Furthermore,  we  are 
told  that  Satan's  best  coach-and-six  was 


270  Old  Edinburgh 

frequently  heard  to  rumble  along  the  Lawn- 
market  and  down  the  Bow  at  an  early  hour 
in  the  morning,  on  its  way  to  call  for  the 
major  and  his  sister,  who  were  to  be  taken 
back  to  their  abode  in  the  Lower  World 
before  cockcrow.  Further  account  of  this 
uncanny  pair  who  were  on  such  terms  of 
intimacy  with  "  Auld  Clootie,"  will  be  met 
with  later. 

At  the  foot  of  Castle  Hill  is  the  Lawn- 
market,  which  derived  its  name  from  the 
stalls  and  canvas  booths  of  the  "  lawn  "  or 
cloth  merchants  which  once  stood  here.  Its 
original  extent  was  from  Castle  Hill  to  the 
Old  Tolbooth  adjoining  St.  Giles.  Although 
now  officially  included  in  the  High  Street,  it 
still  retains  its  old  name  among  the  people. 
At  its  head  stood  the  old  public  "  Weigh- 
House  "  or  "  Butter  Iron,"  where  butter  and 
cheese  were  weighed  and  sold.  The  first 
Weigh-House  was  erected  by  David  II.  in 
1352,  and  had  a  spire  and  clock;  this  was 
destroyed  by  Cromwell  in  1650.  The  second 
one,  built  in  1660,  was  used  as  an  effective 
defence  by  the  Highlanders  of  Prince  Charles 
Edward  during  his  blockade  of  the  Castle  in 


The  Castle  Hill  and  Lawnmarket    271 

1745.  This  was  finally  demolished  in  1822 
to  make  room  for  the  public  entry  of  George 
the  Fourth. 

Riddle's  Close,  which  is  divided  into  two 
parts,  is  on  the  south  side  of  the  Lawnmarket. 
It  has  undergone  little  change,  and  is  one  of 
the  most  interesting  of  the  Old  Edinburgh 
closes.  In  the  first  of  these  little  courts  to  the 
left  is  a  lofty  tenement  with  a  fine  old  outside 
turret  or  turnpike  stair,  with  the  date  1726. 
This  was  the  home  of  David  Hume  from  1751 
until  he  removed  to  Jack's  Close,  and  here 
much  of  his  History  of  England  was  written. 
Hume  writes,  after  his  settlement  here,  "  I 
have  now  at  last  —  being  turned  of  forty  — 
arrived  at  the  dignity  of  being  a  house-holder. 
About  seven  months  ago  I  got  a  house  of  my 
own,  and  completed  a  regular  family,  con- 
sisting of  a  head,  viz.,  myself,  and  two 
inferior  members  —  a  maid  and  a  cat." 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  court,  is  a  house 
which  bears  the  same  date,  but  it  evidently 
is  much  more  ancient.  Through  its  doorway, 
under  a  corbelled  angle,  we  ascend  a  stair- 
way to  the  second  floor,  where  a  passage  leads 
to  a  spacious  apartment  which  would  appear 


272  Old  Edinburgh 

at  one  time  to  have  been  used  as  a  theatre. 
Our  special  interest  however  is  in  the  inner 
room,  which  has  a  ceilingelaborately  moulded 
in  stucco  in  the  French  style  of  about  1670. 
In  the  centre  is  a  large  circle,  wherein  is  a 
crown  bearing  the  date  1678,  alternately 
surrounded  by  roses  and  thistles.  In  the 
corners  of  the  ceiling  the  Scottish  Lion  Ram- 
pant, and  the  English  Lion  Statant  Gardant 
alternately  appear.  The  oak  panelled  walls 
are  beautifully  decorated  by  Norrie,  and  some 
of  the  landscapes  on  the  doors,  windows, 
and  shutters  show  most  artistic  execution. 
Although  some  of  these  paintings  have  been 
removed,  there  remain  enough  to  show  what 
the  magnificence  of  the  apartment  must  have 
been  when  occupied  by  the  Provost  of  Edin- 
burgh, Sir  John  Smith  of  Grotham,  one  of  the 
Scots  Commissioners  who  went  in  1650  to 
Breda  to  affirm  their  loyalty  to  Charles  II. 

The  inner  section  of  the  close  is  an  en- 
closed court,  stated  to  have  been  intended  as 
a  place  of  defence,  and  it  is  interesting  to  note, 
by  the  way,  that  many  of  the  closes  in  the 
olden  time  had  stout  gates  hung  to  the  sides 
of  the  entrance,  a  little  distance  in  from  the 


The  Castle  Hill  and  Lawnmarket    273 

street,  which  could  be  closed  and  defended  in 
case  of  necessity  Traces  of  the  strong  old 
gate  hooks  can  still  be  found  in  some  walls, 
but  most  of  the  metal  has  vanished - 
"  pickit  oot  "  by  small  speculative  fingers, 
when  old  iron  and  lead  were  at  a  premium. 

In  this  inner  court  is  the  house  of  Bailie 
John  MacMorran,  one  of  the  Magistrates  of 
Edinburgh,  a  wealthy  merchant  who  enter- 
tained royalty.  This  was  an  imposing  man- 
sion, as  may  be  seen  from  the  polished  ashlar 
front  and  the  five  dormer  windows.  On  the 
heavy  and  elaborate  roof  pediment  we  can 
still  trace  the  Bailie's  initials,  /.  M.  One  of 
the  windows  has  its  lower  half  closed  by 
carved  oak  shutters,  each  shutter  being 
decorated  with  the  so-called  "  Knelled " 
pattern,  a  decoration  commonly  employed 
on  the  stall-work  of  Tudor  churches.  This 
window,  with  its  carved  mullions  and  tran- 
som, is  the  best  existing  example  of  this  long 
obsolete  type. 

This  house  was  the  scene  of  the  famous 
banquet  given  by  the  City  of  Edinburgh  to 
James  VI.,  Anne  of  Denmark,  and  her  brother 
the  Duke  of  Holstein,  in  March,  1593.  Says 


274  Old  Edinburgh 

Birrell,  "  The  King  and  Queen  were  present 
with  great  solemnity  and  merriness" 

The  Bailie,  worthy  man,  came  to  an  un- 
timely end  in  1595  from  a  pistol-shot  fired  by 
a  school-boy  —  afterwards  Sir  William  Sin- 
clair of  May,  and  the  ancestor  to  the  present 
Earls  of  Caithness.  A  holiday  having  been 
refused  the  High  School  boys,  they  out  of 
revenge  took  possession  of  the  school,  which 
they  barred,  and,  armed  with  swords  and 
pistols,  refused  to  surrender  until  their 
demands  were  granted.  MacMorran,  one  of 
the  wealthiest  merchants  in  the  city,  was 
sent  to  suppress  the  rioters,  and  had  just 
given  orders  to  his  men  to  batter  in  the  door, 
when  a  pistol  bullet  struck  him  in  the  fore- 
head. The  influential  connections  of  the 
young  homicide,  however,  managed  to  pro- 
tect him  from  the  consequences  of  his  rash 
deed  by  the  payment  of  a  large  sum  to  the 
"  gude  toun  "  for  the  outrage  put  "  upon  ane 
of  its  Bailies." 

Riddle's  Close  was  for  a  considerable  period 
a  highly  aristocratic  quarter.  After  being 
occupied  by  several  generations  of  his  de- 
scendants, Bailie  MacMorran 's  house  was 


The  Castle  Hill  and  Lawnmarket    275 

occupied  successively  by  Sir  John  Clerk  of 
Penicuik,  Sir  Roderick  Mackenzie,  and  Sir 
John  Mackenzie ;  and  Lord  Royston  — 
third  son  of  the  celebrated  Earl  of  Cromarty 
—  one  of  the  most  witty  and  gifted  men  of 
his  time.  Here  his  daughter,  Lady  Anne, 
who  became  the  wife  of  Sir  William  Dick  of 
Prestonfield,  was  born  and  brought  up.  '  The 
Lady  Anne  it  seems  was  both  witty  and 
eccentric,  and  her  surprising  pranks  were  the 
talk  of  the  town.  One  of  her  many  diver- 
sions was  to  sally  forth  in  search  of  adventure 
dressed  in  male  attire,  with  her  maid  for  a 
squire.  One  of  these  frolics  ended  rather 
disastrously,  it  is  said,  for  she  and  her  maid 
were  detected  in  their  disguise  and  confined 
all  night  in  the  Town  Guard-house.  Her 
ladyship  is  said  to  have  at  one  time  passed 
a  whole  year  in  her  bed,  simply  for  the  pur- 
pose of  baffling  scandal,  which  ever  had  her 
name  on  its  tongue. 

James's  Court,  erected  about  1725,  on  the 
left  of  the  Lawnmarket,  is  that  great  pile  of 
buildings  the  back  of  which  faces  the  top  of 
the  Mound.  This  was  for  years  after  its 
erection  a  fashionable  quarter,  and  the  resi- 


276  Old  Edinburgh 

dence  of  those  of  dignity  and  importance. 
"The  inhabitants,  who  were  all  of  conse- 
quence in  society,  although  each  had  but  a 
single  floor  of  four  or  five  rooms  and  a  kitchen, 
kept  a  clerk  to  record  their  names  and  pro- 
ceedings, had  a  scavenger  of  their  own, 
clubbed  in  many  public  measures,  and  had 
balls-  and  parties  among  themselves  exclu- 
sively; "  so  it  will  be  seen  that  this  was  a 
very  select  locality. 

It  is  a  surprise  to  the  stranger,  after  de- 
scending flight  after  flight  of  steps  from  the 
rear  of  the  court,  to  land,  not  in  the  bowels 
of  the  earth  as  he  expects,  but  in  a  cheerful, 
busy  street  overlooking  the  New  Town.  If 
one  wishes  to  get  a  very  good  impression  of 
the  great  defensibility  of  these  steep  slopes 
in  the  olden  time,  let  him  make  the  ascent  of 
these  steps,  and  I  would  suggest  that  he  essay 
this  feat  before,  rather  than  after,  dinner. 

The  court  has  three  entrances  from  the 
Lawnmarket,  and  the  building  bearing  the 
date  1690,  facing  the  first  entrance,  stands 
on  the  site  of  a  "  land  "  where  David  Hume 
the  historian  —  described  by  his  mother  as 
"  a  fine  guid-natured  crater,  but  waik- 


The  Castle  Hill  and  Lawnmarket    277 

minded  "  — lived,  when  he  removed  in  1762 
from  Jack's  Close  in  the  Canongate.  During 
Hume's  absence  in  France,  his  house  was 
occupied  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hugh  Blair,  the 
celebrated  preacher.  George  III.,  in  appre- 
ciation of  Blair's  sermons,  some  of  which 
were  read  to  him  by  the  eloquent  Lord  Mans- 
field, granted  the  able  divine  a  pension  of 
£200. 

The  worthy  doctor,  it  is  said,  indulged 
to  a  considerable  extent  in  light  reading,  his 
especial  favourites  being  Don  Quixote  and  the 
Arabian  Nights.  He  is  said  also  to  have  been 
very  vain,  priding  himself  on  his  taste  and 
accuracy  in  dress,  which,  however,  were  abso- 
lutely ridiculous.  "  He  was  so  careful  about 
his  coat  that,  not  content  with  merely  looking 
at  himself  in  the  mirror  to  see  how  it  fitted  in 
general,  he  would  cause  the  tailor  to  lay  the 
looking-glass  on  the  floor,  and  then,  standing 
on  tiptoe  over  it,  he  would  peep  athwart  his 
shoulder  to  see  how  the  skirts  hung." 

James  Boswell  lived  in  the  third  flat  of 
this  house,  having  rented  it  of  Hume,  and  here 
he  entertained  in  1773  Dr.  Samuel  Johnson, 
who  then  was  on  his  "  Trip  to  the  Hebrides." 


278  Old  Edinburgh 

"  On  Saturday,  the  i4th  of  August,  1773," 
Boswell  writes,  "  late  in  the  evening  I  re- 
ceived a  note  from  him  that  he  was  arrived 
at  Boyd's  Inn,  at  the  end  of  the  Canongate. 
...  I  went  to  him  directly.  He  embraced 
me  cordially  and  I  exulted  in  the  thought 
that  I  now  had  him  actually  in  Caledonia." 
When  Boswell  arrived  at  the  inn,  better 
known  as  the  celebrated  "  White  Horse,"  he 
found  the  illustrious  doctor  in  a  violent  rage 
at  the  waiter,  who,  in  sweetening  his  lemon- 
ade, had  used  his  dirty  fingers  in  place  of  the 
sugar  tongs.  The  doctor,  in  high  indigna- 
tion, threw  the  lemonade  out  of  the  window, 
and  the  company  almost  expected  to  see  the 
waiter  follow  it.  We  can  picture  the  irascible 
Samuel  in  his  "  brown  suit  with  steel  but- 
tons "  and  "  grumbling  and  stumbling  in  the 
dark,"  as  he  was  piloted  to  Boswell's  lodgings, 
walking  arm-in-arm  up  the  High  Street. 
Boswell  says,  "  It  was  a  dusky  night;  I  could 
not  prevent  his  being  assailed  by  the  evening 
effluvia  of  Edinburgh."  "  I  can  smell  you 
in  the  dark,"  grumbled  Johnson  to  his  guide. 
The  story  is  told  that  Boswell,  while  show- 
ing the  great  man  about  the  city,  met  the 


The  Castle  Hill  and  Lawnmarket   279 

witty  Harry  Erskine  in  the  Potterrow,  and 
introduced  him  to  his  hero.  Johnson  had 
been  dubbed  by  the  Edinburgh  folks,  from 
his  rough  and  abrupt  manner,  "  Ursa  Major." 
Erskine  having  heard  of  the  reputation  the 
good  doctor  had  acquired  since  coming  to 
town,  returned  his  greeting  with  nothing 
more  than "  Your  servant,  sir,"  and  passed  on, 
slipping  into  Boswell's  hand  a  shilling  "  for 
the  sight  of  the  bear  with  which  he  had  been 
favoured."  Relating  to  the  doctor's  well- 
known  capacity  for  tea,  we  are  told  that 
when  he  was  entertained  by  Mrs.  Blacklock, 
he  drank  nineteen  cups  of  it  at  her  table. 

Lady  Stair's  Close  was  named  after  Eliza- 
beth, Dowager  Countess  of  Stair,  a  celebrated 
leader  of  Edinburgh  society  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  eighteenth  century.  She  was  the  first 
to  keep  a  negro  domestic  servant  in  Edin- 
burgh, and  was  much  envied  in  consequence. 
Lady  Stair  lived  in  the  solid  old  mansion  on 
the  west  side  of  the  close,  which  presents,  in 
a  sculptured  stone  over  the  doorway,  a  small 
coat-armorial  with  the  initials  "  W.  G."  and 
"  G.  S.,"  the  date  1622,  and  the  legend, 
"FEARE  THE  LORD  AND  DEPART 


280  Old  Edinburgh 

FROM  EVILL."  The  initials  are  those  of 
Sir  William  Gray  of  Pittendrum  and  his  wife, 
and  the  close  was  originally  called  Lady 
Gray's  Close,  from  its  first  owners.  The  house 
of  late  years  has  been  restored  to  something 
of  its  former  state  by  Lord  Rosebery,  a 
descendant  of  the  Countess  of  Stair.  In 
Lady  Stair's  time,  this  house  was  one  of  the 
most  notable  in  Edinburgh.  It  had  a  terraced 
garden  descending  to  the  Nor'  Loch,  as  had 
other  houses  adjoining,  and  many  of  the 
tenants  kept  pleasure  craft  on  the  Loch, 
then  an  attractive  sheet  of  water. 

Her  ladyship  had  the  misfortune  to  marry, 
at  an  early  age,  a  man  of  violent  temper  and 
dissipated  habits,  James,  Viscount  Primrose, 
who  treated  her  so  cruelly  that  she  had  reason 
to  fear  for  her  life.  While  dressing  one  morn- 
ing in  her  chamber  near  an  open  window, 
she  saw,  in  the  mirror,  her  husband  stealthily 
enter  the  room  behind  her,  bearing  in  his  hand 
a  drawn  sword,  his  face  expressing  a  most 
malignant  and  ferocious  resolution.  With 
great  presence  of  mind  she  threw  herself, 
half-dressed  as  she  was,  into  the  street,  and 
hastening  to  the  house  of  Lord  Primrose's 


The  Castle  Hill  and  Lawnmarket    281 

mother,  told  her  story,  and  demanded  pro- 
tection, which  was  at  once  given.  It  was 
thought  useless  to  attempt  a  reconciliation, 
and  they  never  again  lived  together. 

Sir  Walter  Scott  has  made  a  strange  ex- 
perience of  Lady  Primrose  the  basis  of  his 
story,  "  My  Aunt  Margaret's  Mirror.  "  It 
appears  that  after  their  separation,  her  hus- 
band went  abroad,  she  knowing  nothing  of 
his  whereabouts.  In  the  meantime,  a  foreign 
magician,  or  fortune  teller,  came  to  Edin- 
burgh, who  claimed  to  have  power  to  inform 
any  person  of  the  movements  of  absent  ones, 
at  whatever  distance,  however  remote.  The 
curiosity  of  Lady  Primrose  —  who  had  not 
heard  from  her  wandering  husband  for  a  long 
time  —  caused  her  to  go  to  the  lodgings  of 
the  wise  man  in  the  Canongate,  who  there 
showed  her  a  large  mirror,  in  which  she  saw  a 
wedding  in  progress,  and  the  bridegroom  to 
her  amazement  was  her  husband.  The  cere- 
mony progressed  to  the  point  where  the  priest 
was  bidding  the  bride  and  bridegroom  to  join 
hands,  when  suddenly,  the  service  was  inter- 
rupted by  the  appearance  of  a  gentleman  in 
whom  Lady  Primrose  thought  she  recognized 


282  Old  Edinburgh 

her  brother.  He  advanced  hurriedly  down 
the  aisle,  and  rushing  up  to  the  bridegroom, 
drew  his  sword  with  a  menacing  expression. 
The  vision  in  the  mirror  then  became  indis- 
tinct, soon  fading  entirely. 

Lady  Primrose,  strongly  impressed,  on 
reaching  home  wrote  a  complete  story  of  the 
mysterious  affair,  which  she  sealed  in  the 
presence  of  a  witness,  and  put  in  a  place  of 
safety.  Shortly  after  this,  her  brother  re- 
turned from  abroad,  and  on  her  asking  if  he 
had  heard  anything  of  her  recreant  lord,  he 
told  her  he  wished  never  to  hear  that  villain's 
name  again.  Close  questioning  on  her  part, 
however,  brought  forth  the  facts  that  her 
brother,  while  in  Amsterdam,  had  formed  a 
friendship  with  a  wealthy  Dutch  merchant 
who  had  a  beautiful  daughter,  the  sole  heiress 
of  his  great  fortune.  His  friend,  the  mer- 
chant, one  day  informed  him  that  his  daugh- 
ter was  to  be  married  shortly  to  a  Scottish 
gentleman,  a  recent  resident  of  the  town,  and 
invited  him  as  a  countryman  of  the  bride- 
groom to  be  present  at  the  ceremony. 

He  accordingly  went  to  the  church,  a  little 
too  late  for  the  commencement  of  the  mar- 


The  Castle  Hill  and  Lawnmarket   283 

riage  service,  but  in  time  to  prevent  the 
sacrifice  of  a  beautiful  and  amiable  young 
woman,  for  the  bridegroom  was  to  his  aston- 
ishment none  other  than  that  fiend  in  human 
shape,  Lord  Primrose,  his  own  brother-in- 
law.  The  story  then  goes,  that  Lady  Prim- 
rose, first  ascertaining  from  her  brother  the 
exact  date  of  the  occurrence,  gave  him  her 
key,  requesting  him  to  bring  the  sealed 
packet  from  the  drawer  where  she  had  placed 
it.  When  the  packet  was  opened,  it  was 
found  that  everything  to  the  most  minute 
detail  had  occurred  just  as  she  had  seen  it  in 
the  mirror. 

After  Lord  Primrose's  death,  she  was  still 
a  young  and  beautiful  woman,  and  had  many 
noble  and  wealthy  suitors.  From  her  experi- 
ence of  married  life,  however,  she  vowed 
never  again  to  wed,  and  probably  would  have 
kept  her  word,  but  for  the  strange  and  not 
particularly  delicate  method  pursued  to  gain 
her  consent  by  Lord  Stair.  He  was  desper- 
ately in  love  with  her  ladyship,  but  she  re- 
peatedly refused  him,  although  he  was  a  man 
of  ability,  and,  generally  speaking,  of  estima- 
ble character.  At  last,  in  despair,  he  saw 


284  Old  Edinburgh 

but  one  way  out  of  his  difficulty.  In  her 
ladyship's  house  was  a  small  room  looking 
out  upon  the  High  Street,  where  each  morn- 
ing she  used  to  say  her  prayers,  so,  by  force 
of  financial  argument,  he  prevailed  upon  her 
servants  to  smuggle  him  into  this  room 
overnight,  and  next  morning  when  there 
were  a  number  of  people  passing  along  the 
street,  he  showed  himself  at  the  window  en 
deshabille.  This  spectacle  threatened  to 
compromise  her  ladyship's  reputation  to  such 
an  extent  that  she  consented  to  marry  him. 

When  Sir  Richard  Steele  of  the  "  Spec- 
tator "  visited  Edinburgh  in  1717,  on  the 
business  of  the  Forfeited  Estates  Commission, 
he  lodged  in  the  house  adjoining  that  of 
Lady  Stair,  and  at  the  "  Ball  "  Tavern,  in 
this  close,  he  gave  a  supper  to  all  the  eccen- 
tric-looking beggars  he  could  gather  in  the 
city.  They  participated  in  a  roaring  feast, 
and  Steele  was  greatly  amused  at  their  odd 
antics,  saying  afterwards  that  "  he  had  drunk 
enough  of  native  drollery  to  compose  a 
comedy." 

In  Lady  Stair's  Close  lived  also  "  honest 
John  Paton."  "  Honest  John  "  was  a  clerk 


The  Castle  Hill  and  Lawnmarket   285 

in  the  Custom  House  on  eighty  pounds  a 
year,  but  he  managed,  nevertheless,  on  this 
small  salary,  to  reach  the  age  of  eighty-seven, 
and  to  make  a  collection  of  books,  coins,  and 
all  sorts  of  antiquities  which  it  took  six 
weeks  to  sell  by  auction.  A  man  of  most 
eccentric  habits,  he  ate  nothing  until  four  in 
the  afternoon,  when  he  had  a  cup  of  coffee 
and  a  slice  of  bread.  At  nine  o'clock  punctu- 
ally, he  went  to  sup  at  Johnnie  Dowie's, 
sounding  his  cane  on  the  pavement  as  he 
approached  the  tavern ;  his  signal  always  for 
admittance.  Here  he  regaled  himself  on  "  a 
bottle  of  ale  and  a  gude  buffed  herring,  or 
roasted  skate  and  ingans." 

To  the  inquisitive  stranger  who  enters  the 
historic  precincts  of  Baxter's  Close,  appear, 
as  if  by  magic,  a  swarm  of  embryo  guides; 
small  but  canny  Scots,  bare  of  foot,  eager 
and  speculative  of  eye,  and  of  great  and  ex- 
ceeding volubility.  From  the  collective  and 
unrestrained  tumult  the  visitor  gathers,  after 
he  has  in  some  degree  recovered  from  the 
onslaught,  that  '  Yon's  the  hoose  where 
R-r-obbie  Bur-r-ns  stoppit  when  he  fir-r-st 
kem  tae  Edinbur-ra." 


286  Old  Edinburgh 

In  Baxter's  Close  which  is  now  part  of 
Lady  Stair's  Close,  Burns  lodged  in  1786 
with  his  friend  John  Richmond  of  Mauchline, 
at  an  expense  of  eighteen-pence  a  week.  The 
poet's  lodging,  in  the  first  stair  to  the  left 
of  the  close,  is  a  room  of  good  dimensions  on 
the  second  floor,  with  antique  wooden  panel- 
ling. From  this  ancient  dwelling  Burns 
sallied  forth  to  dine  and  wine  with  the  great 
ones,  for  he  was  then  the  lion  of  the  town. 

Burns,  according  to  Lockhart,  lodged  with 
John  Richmond  through  the  winter,  and 
during  this  time  he  states  the  poet  "  kept 
good  hours."  Lockhart  says  further,  "  With 
a  warm  heart,  the  man  united  a  fiery  irascible 
temper,  a  scorn  of  many  of  the  decencies  of 
life,  a  noisy  contempt  of  religion  .  .  .  and  a 
violent  propensity  for  the  bottle." 

Scott  says  of  the  poet,  "  His  person  was 
strong  and  robust,  his  manner  rustic,  not 
clownish,  a  sort  of  dignified  plainness  and 
simplicity.  ...  I  think  his  countenance 
was  more  massive  than  it  looks  in  any  of  his 
portraits.  There  was  a  strong  expression  of 
sense  and  shrewdness  in  all  his  lineaments; 
the  eye  alone,  I  think,  indicated  the  poet's 


The  Castle  Hill  and  Lawnmarket   287 

character  and  temperament.  It  was  large, 
and  of  a  cast  which  glowed,  I  say  literally, 
glowed,  when  he  spoke  with  feeling  or  inter- 
est. His  conversation  expressed  perfect 
self-confidence,  without  the  slightest  presump- 
tion. ...  I  have  only  to  add  that  his  dress 
corresponded  with  his  manner.  He  was  like 
a  farmer  dressed  in  his  best  to  dine  with  the 
laird."  Burns  died  in  1796,  at  the  early  age 
of  thirty-seven. 

Brodie's  Close  takes  its  name  from  Deacon 
Brodie,  the  Jekyll  and  Hyde  of  Edinburgh 
criminals.  His  house  was  on  the  first  floor 
overlooking  the  Lawnmarket,  entered  by  the 
first  turnpike  stair  on  the  right.  The  door 
and  lock  which  guard  the  entrance  to  the 
former  residence  of  the  artful  deacon,  are 
both  said  to  have  been  made  by  his  hand; 
the  latter  is  a  remarkably  ingenious  piece  of 
mechanism,  for  the  deacon  was  an  expert  in 
locks  and  keys,  as  will  be  seen.  The  rooms 
are  all  richly  decorated  by  panel  paintings, 
and  one,  the  Adoration  of  the  Magi,  sup- 
posedly the  work  of  Nome,  a  famous  house 
decorator  of  the  eighteenth  century,  orna- 
ments the  space  over  the  fireplace  in  the 
principal  apartment. 


288  Old  Edinburgh 

The  house  of  Robert  Gourlay,  which  was 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  in  Edinburgh, 
was  among  the  buildings  removed  to  make 
way  for  George  IV.  Bridge.  Near  here, 
stood  at  one  time  the  town  house  and  chapel 
belonging  to  the  Abbots  of  Cambuskenneth. 
After  the  Reformation  the  stones  of  these 
buildings  were  utilized  in  the  erection  of  one 
of  the  most  massive  houses  in  the  city  by 
Gourlay,  a  very  wealthy  merchant.  The 
"  popish  "  carvings  on  the  stones,  however, 
were  turned  inward  so  as  not  to  offend  any 
strict  religious  eye. 

In  this  house  which  was  one  of  the  largest 
of  its  time  in  Edinburgh,  many  State  guests 
were  lodged.  Sir  William  Drury,  the  English 
general  sent  by  Elizabeth  to  assist  in  the 
siege  of  the  Castle  when  held  by  Kirkaldy  of 
Grange,  lodged  here,  and  hither  that  brave 
but  misguided  soldier  was  brought  after  his 
surrender.  Drury  Lane  in  London,  by  the 
way,  was  named  after  this  same  Sir  William. 
Sir  George  Lockhart,  President  of  the  Court 
of  Session,  lived  in  this  house,  and  before  its 
door  he  was  shot  by  Chiesly  of  Dairy,  a 
disappointed  litigant. 


The  Castle  Hill  and  Lawnmarket    289 

The  assassin  was  executed  with  the  pistol 
about  his  neck,  and  gibbeted  at  the  Gallowlee. 
The  body  disappeared  one  night  soon  after, 
it  being  supposed  to  have  been  stolen  by  his 
friends.  More  than  a  century  afterward,  his 
remains  were  accidently  discovered  under  a 
hearth-stone  of  a  cottage  in  Dairy  Park,  near 
Edinburgh,  with  the  fragments  of  the  pistol 
still  near  the  neck.  It  was  supposed  that  the 
body  was  hastily  put  into  this  place  of  con- 
cealment on  the  night  it  was  stolen  from  the 
gallows.  Gourlay's  house  was  often  used  as  a 
place  of  confinement  for  State  criminals, 
among  these  being  the  Regent  Morton,  who 
the  night  before  his  execution  is  said  to  have 
paced  ceaselessly  up  and  down  the  floor  of 
one  of  its  chambers,  "  clanking  on  his  ringer 
and  his  thowmbe." 


T 


CHAPTER   XII 

ST.    GILES,    AND    PARLIAMENT    SQUARE 

HE  ancient  Parish  Church  of  St.  Giles, 


"  Hoar  relic  of  the  past  whose  ancient  spire 
Climbs  heavenward  amid  the  crowded  mart," 


has  a  history  extending  back  to  the  early 
part  of  the  twelfth  century,  when  it  appears 
to  have  superseded  a  church  of  much  older 
date.  This  in  turn  may  have  risen  from  the 
site  of  some  heathen  temple. 

The  "  Kirk  of  Sanct  Gellis  of  Edynburgh," 
thus  anciently  termed,  stands  in  a  prominent 
position  on  the  south  side  of  the  High  Street, 
and  its  crowned  spire,  which  has  always  been 
the  chief  ornament  of  the  Old  Town,  can  be 
seen  on  a  clear  day  from  a  great  distance. 
Tradition  says  a  Christian  place  of  worship 
has  existed  on  this  spot  since  Edwin,  King  of 
Northumberland,  founded  the  town  and 
named  it  as  his  "  burgh." 

290 


St.  Giles,  and  Parliament  Square     291 

There  is  not  in  Scotland  an  ecclesiastical 
structure  which  has  been  so  abused  or  has 
passed  through  so  many  changes,  but  it  has 
survived  tenaciously  as  a  memorial  of  ancient 
times,  while  it  still  excites  attention  as  a  relic 
of  art  from  the  twelfth  to  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury. This  ancient  church  was  never  entirely 
destroyed.  Its  solid  masonry  probably  was 
not  greatly  injured  by  the  attack  of  Edward 
II.  and  his  army  in  1322  when  Holy  rood  was 
ravaged,  nor  by  his  son  in  1335  when  the 
whole  of  Scotland  was  scourged  with  fire  and 
sword.  When  the  city  was  burned  in  1385 
by  the  English  army,  which  under  Richard 
II.  occupied  the  town  for  five  days,  St.  Giles 
was  almost  wholly  destroyed,  all  that  re- 
mained after  the  conflagration  being  the  base 
of  the  spire  and  a  part  of  the  nave  and  choir. 
Marks  of  fire  were  plainly  visible  until  quite 
recently  on  some  of  the  pillars  of  the  latter. 

The  church  when  founded  was  consecrated 
to  St.  Giles,  or  Sanctus  Egidius,  as  he  is 
termed  in  Latin,  a  mediaeval  saint  regarding 
whom  there  are  many  legends.  A  hind,  upon 
the  milk  of  which  he  partially  subsisted,  was 
his  only  companion  says  tradition,  and  the 


292  Old  Edinburgh 

arms  of  the  city  of  Edinburgh  to  this  day 
have  a  hind  as  one  of  the  supporters. 

The  impression  that  St.  Giles  gives  exter- 
nally is  that  of  a  modern  Gothic  structure, 
with  choir,  nave,  and  transept,  but  in  fact, 
it  is  an  ancient  fabric,  built  at  different 
periods,  the  work  of  the  early  architects 
being  hidden  by  the  comparatively  recent 
casing.  The  oldest  portions  that  remain 
extant  are  the  crown-shaped  spire,  and  some 
of  the  interior  columns.  After  its  almost  total 
destruction  by  the  English  army  under  Rich- 
ard II.,  it  was  rebuilt  in  1387  at  the  expense 
of  the  town,  when  among  other  works  five 
vaulted  chapels  were  erected  on  the  south 
side  of  the  nave.  Two  of  these  now  remain 
and  form  the  South  Aisle  of  the  church. 
The  rebuilding  and  additions  —  on  the  north 
side  principally  —  went  on  until  about  1416; 
one  of  these  additions  being  the  beautiful 
Albany  Aisle. 

Nothing  more  of  note  was  done  until  about 
1460,  when  the  "  King's  Pillar  "  was  erected. 
This  bears  four  distinct  shields  which  have 
reference  to  James  II.,  and  his  Queen,  Mary 
of  Gueldres.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that 


St.  Giles,  and  Parliament  Square    293 

the  shield  facing  the  east  was  placed  in 
honour  of  their  infant  son,  born  in  1453,  and 
who  became  James  III.  It  shows  the 
Scottish  lion  rampant  within  a  double 
tressure,  with  a  label  of  three  points  denoting 
an  heir  or  prince.  The  shield  facing  the  north, 
impaled,  is  that  of  the  Queen,  Mary  of 
Gueldres.  The  shield  facing  the  west,  which 
has  the  lion  with  a  double  tressure,  is  that 
of  the  King,  James  II.  The  shield  facing  the 
south  has  three  fleur-de-lis  for  France,  with 
which  country  Scotland  had  intimate  rela- 
tions. 

About  1460,  the  church  assumed  very 
nearly  its  present  shape.  The  choir  was 
completed  —  its  roof  being  heightened  — 
the  clerestory  windows  were  added,  and  the 
whole  edifice  extended  eastward.  The  walls 
borne  by  the  older  pillars  were  raised,  while 
the  clerestory  groining  was  finished.  This 
was  remarkable  for  the  variety  and  beauty 
of  its  bosses,  one  of  which  bears  the  legend, 
"AVE.  GRA.  PLA.  BUS.  TECU.,"  this 
being  an  abbreviation  of  the  angelic  saluta- 
tion, "  Hail  Mary,  full  of  grace,  the  Lord  is 
with  thee." 


294 


Old  Edinburgh 
PLAN    Of  ST  GILES 


»(«! 

Seal*  of  F«Mt 


St.  Giles,  and  Parliament  Square    295 

The  Preston  Aisle,  on  the  south  side,  was 
next  erected  by  the  Corporation  of  Edin- 
burgh in  pious  memory  of  William  Preston 
of  Gorton,  who  having  "  with  deligent  labour 
and  grete  menis  (expense)  and  aided  be  a 
he  (high)  and  mighty  prince,  the  King  of 
France,  and  mony  uthir  Lordis  of  France, 
succeeded  in  obtaining  possession  of  the 
arme  bane  of  St.  Giles,  has  bequethed  this 
inestimable  relique  to  oure  Mothir  Kirk  of 
Sant  Gell  of  Edynburgh,  withouten  ony  con- 
dicioun."  The  Corporation  faithfully  kept 
its  pledge  "  to  build  ane  ile,  furth  fra  our 
Lady  Ile,  quhare  ye  said  William  now  lyis, 
to  erect  there  his  monument  with  a  brass 
inscription  detaeling  his  services,  his  arms 
also  to  be  put  in  three  other  parts  of  the  aisle, 
also  an  altar,  and  to  endow  a  chaplain  to  sing 
for  him  from  that  time  furth,  and  granting 
his  nearest  relation  the  privilege  of  carrying 
the  relique  on  all  public  processions."  By 
this  addition,  the  aisle  being  59  feet  in  length 
by  24  in  breadth,  the  choir  was  made  much 
larger. 

This  relic  of  St.  Giles,  together  with  his 
image,  were  objects  of  much  interest  in  the 


296  Old  Edinburgh 

public  procession  at  the  annual  festival,  an 
important  event  until  1558;  but  when  the 
clergy  then  marched  in  procession  for  the 
last  time,  St.  Giles'  image  was  missing.  They 
had  been  obliged  to  borrow  from  Greyfriars 
an  image  to  take  its  place,  which  was  hailed 
derisively  as  "  Young  St.  Giles."  We  have 
previously  narrated  how  the  original  St.  Giles 
had  been  stolen  from  the  church,  ducked  in 
the  North  Loch  and  then  burned;  and  how 
the  mob  hustled  the  clergy  and  tore  "  Young 
St.  Giles  "  to  pieces;  to  the  great  delight  of 
Knox,  it  is  said.  The  saint's  jewels  and  vest- 
ments, together  with  the  massive  silver 
reliquary  which  contained  the  arm  bone, 
were  sold  four  years  afterwards  by  the  magis- 
trates' authority,  the  proceeds  being  given 
to  the  repair  of  the  church. 

When  the  Preston  Aisle  was  completed  in 
1466,  young  James  III.,  then  only  thirteen 
years  of  age,  converted  the  Parish  Church 
of  St.  Giles  into  a  collegiate  foundation.  Its 
chapter  was  to  consist  of  "  a  Provost,  Curate, 
sixteen  Prebendaries,  a  minister  of  the  Choir, 
four  Choristers,  a  Sacristan,  and  a  Beadle; 
all  of  whom  were  exclusive  of  chaplains 


St.  Giles,  and  Parliament  Square    297 

ministering  at  thirty-six  altars  throughout 
the  establishment.  Altogether  the  number 
of  ecclesiastics  would  not  be  less  than  a 
hundred,  supported  by  particular  endow- 
ments drawn  from  certain  lands,  oblations  at 
the  altars,  and  by  donations  of  food  and  other 
articles." 

In  1470,  Pope  Paul  II.,  by  special  Bull, 
placed  the  clergy  of  St.  Giles  in  a  position 
perhaps  unique  in  the  history  of  Scotland. 
This  exempted  them  from  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  Bishop  of  St.  Andrews  to  whom  they  had 
hitherto  been  subject,  and  placed  them 
directly  under  the  government  of  the  Holy 
See.  Gawain  Douglas,  the  celebrated  poet, 
was  the  second  Provost  of  the  new  foundation. 

The  last  addition  was  made  in  1513;  the 
Chepman  Aisle,  built  by  Walter  Chepman, 
the  first  Scots  printer,  in  honour  of  James  IV., 
his  royal  patron,  and  his  Queen,  Margaret  of 
England.  Chepman,  who  amassed  a  large 
fortune  as  printer  and  publisher,  was  here 
interred  in  1532. 

After  the  riot  on  the  occasion  of  the  anni- 
versary of  St.  Giles,  September  ist,  1558, 
when  the  procession  of  the  clergy  was  riot- 


298  Old  Edinburgh 

ously  dispersed  by  the  mob,  the  city  magis- 
trates, to  save  the  fittings  of  the  church, 
completely  cleared  the  interior.  Sailors  were 
brought  from  Leith,  who  with  ropes  and 
ladders  took  the  altars  down.  All  the  gold, 
silver,  and  jewels  were  carefully  catalogued 
and  secured,  as  the  existing  town  records 
show.  The  arm-bone  of  St.  Giles,  which  a 
hundred  years  before  had  been  so  venerated, 
was  taken  from  its  massive  silver  reliquary 
and  tossed  into  the  burying-ground.  With 
the  exception  of  a  pulpit  or  a  reading  desk, 
the  ancient  church  was  swept  bare. 

After  the  Reformation,  when  affairs  were 
settled  in  1560,  the  collegiate  character  of 
St.  Giles  Church  disappeared,  and  it  reverted 
to  its  original  condition  of  a  parish  church, 
with  John  Knox  as  its  pastor.  The  church, 
as  we  have  said,  was  bare,  and  must  have 
presented  an  appearance  of  desolation.  There 
were  no  fixed  pews  at  this  period,  the  seats 
being  stools  provided  by  the  worshippers 
for  their  own  use.  Most  of  the  people  stood, 
and  would  gladly  stand  for  hours  to  listen  to 
John  Knox.  This  great  preacher  was  a  tire- 
less worker;  he  preached  twice  on  Sunday, 


St.  Giles,  and  Parliament  Square    299 

and  three  times  on  every  other  day  of  the 
week,  in  addition  to  many  other  clerical 
duties.  A  "  Reader  "  was  his  only  assistant. 
What  a  picture  the  old  church  must  have  pre- 
sented, when  at  four  o'clock  on  winter  morn- 
ings, Knox  held  his  Communions  by  the  light 
of  flaring  torches. 

When  in  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century  more  parish  churches  were  required 
for  the  growing  population,  it  was  proposed, 
instead  of  building  others,  to  cut  St.  Giles  into 
sections,  making  each  section  a  parish  church. 
This  alteration  was  done  most  barbarously, 
and  irreparable  damage  resulted.  The  beau- 
tiful carvings  of  the  pillars  were  hacked  and 
hewn  to  conform  to  the  plans  of  the  vandals, 
even  characteristic  heads  of  rare  interest 
being  knocked  off  with  hammers,  to  be  buried 
in  rubbish. 

When  these  architectural  butchershadcom- 
pleted  their  mutilation,  St.  Giles  had  been 
divided  into  four  parish  churches.  The  choir 
became  the  High  Kirk;  the  south-west  sec- 
tion was  the  Tolbooth  Kirk ;  part  of  the  nave 
and  the  South  Aisle  was  the  Old  Kirk ;  while 
the  Little  Kirk,  or  "  Haddo's  Hole  "  was  in 


300  Old  Edinburgh 

the  north-west  section.  These  various 
churches  presented  amusing  differences  of 
character:  — 

"  The  High  Church  had  a  sort  of  dignified 
aristocratic  flavour  approaching  somewhat 
to  prelacy,  and  was  frequented  only  by  sound 
Church-and-state  men,  who  did  not  care  so 
much  for  the  sermon  as  for  the  gratification 
of  sitting  in  the  same  place  with  His  Majesty's 
Lords  of  Council  and  Session,  and  the  Magis- 
trates of  Edinburgh.  .  .  .  The  Old  Church, 
in  the  centre  of  the  whole,  was  frequented 
by  people  who  wished  to  have  a  sermon  of 
good  divinity  about  three-quarters  of  an 
hour  long,  and  who  did  not  care  for  the  dark- 
ness and  dreariness  of  their  temple.  The 
Tolbooth  Church  was  the  peculiar  resort  of 
a  set  of  rigid  Calvinists  from  the  Lawnmarket 
and  head  of  the  Bow,  termed  the  '  Tow- 
buith  Whigs,'  who  loved  nothing  but  ex- 
tempore evangelical  sermons,  and  would 
have  considered  it  sufficient  to  bring  the 
house  down  about  their  ears  if  the  precentor 
had  ceased  for  one  verse  the  old  hillside  fash- 
ion of  reciting  the  lines  of  the  psalm  before 
singing  them." 


St.  Giles,  and  Parliament  Square     301 

St.  Giles  has  passed  through  some  stirring 
scenes,  apart  from  its  ecclesiastical  history. 
Kirkaldy  of  Grange,  in  1571,  mounted  his 
artillery  in  the  steeple  to  intimidate  the 
burghers.  When  some  of  the  craftsmen 
threatened  to  demolish  the  sturdy  pillars 
with  the  idea  of  destroying  him  and  his  brave 
band,  he  cut  holes  through  the  ceiling,  and 
training  his  cannon  upon  them  quickly 
caused  them  to  beat  a  retreat. 

"  Morn  wi'  bonny  purple  smiles 
Kisses  the  air-cock  o'  St  Giles," 

sings  the  poet  Fergusson.  The  spire,  or 
crown,  which  is  so  universally  admired  dates 
back  to  the  twelfth  century.  In  the  early 
part  of  the  seventeenth  century  there  was  a 
loom  set  up  in  the  tower,  so  that  weavers 
there  confined  could  earn  their  board  and 
lodging.  "  Haddo's  Hole  "  was  an  apart- 
ment in  the  north-western  portion  of  the 
church,  where  Sir  John  Gordon  of  Haddo 
was  confined  previous  to  his  trial  and  execu- 
tion in  1644.  In  "  Haddo's  Hole,"  as  it  was 
ever  afterwards  known,  the  Covenanters 
captured  at  Rullion  Green  were  confined. 


302  Old  Edinburgh 

As  late  as  the  year  1817,  part  of  the  church 
was  used  as  an  office  by  the  police. 

The  late  Dr.  William  Chambers,  Lord 
Provost  of  Edinburgh,  restored  the  interior 
of  St.  Giles  to  a  resemblance  of  its  appearance 
before  the  Reformation,  at  a  personal  ex- 
pense of  about  .£30,000 ;  this  work  was  done 
1872-83.  His  project  was  to  convert  it  into 
a  Scottish  Westminster  Abbey  where  dis- 
tinguished Scotsmen  might  be  honoured. 
With  this  idea  several  monuments  have  been 
erected  within  the  church,  two  of  the  most 
notable  being  the  recumbent  effigies  of  the 
Marquis  of  Argyll,  and  the  Marquis  of  Mont- 
rose,  both  being  fine  works  of  art.  St.  Eloi's 
Chapel,  also  called  the  Hammermen's  Chapel, 
is  at  the  right  of  the  High  Street  entrance. 
At  its  altar  was  dedicated  the  famous  Blue 
Blanket  or  Banner  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which 
was  borne  by  the  Scottish  craftsmen  who 
had  aided  in  the  recovery  of  the  Holy  Sepul- 
chre from  the  Infidels. 

The  Albany  Aisle,  at  the  north-west  corner, 
was  built  by  Robert,  Duke  of  Albany,  and 
Archibald,  fourth  Earl  of  Douglas,  as  a 
penance  for  their  murder  by  starvation  in 


MONTROSE    MONUMENT. 


St.  Giles,  and  Parliament  Square     303 

1402  of  the  king's  son  David,  Duke  of  Rothe- 
say,  in  a  dungeon  at  Falkland.  The  capital 
of  the  centre  pillar  bears  two  shields,  one  the 
Albany  arms,  and  the  other  the  Douglas 
"  Bleeding  Heart,"  with  other  bearings. 
Near  the  west  door  is  the  baptismal  font 
modelled  after  Thorwaldsen's  famous  work  at 
Copenhagen.  Directly  opposite  St.  Eloi's 
Chapel  is  the  Moray  Aisle,  where  the  remains 
of  the  Regent  —  the  "  Good  Regent  "  of 
some,  the  "Traitor  Bastard"  of  others  — 
are  believed  to  be  buried.  The  window 
gives  the  scenes  of  his  assassination  by 
Bothwellhaugh,  and  his  burial,  with  John 
Knox  preaching  his  funeral  sermon. 

Business  was  formerly  transacted  in  the 
Moray  Aisle  by  the  citizens  before  there  was 
a  public  Exchange  in  Edinburgh.  Chepman's 
Aisle,  just  beyond  the  south  transept,  con- 
tains the  remains  of  the  Scottish  Caxton, 
whose  name  it  bears,  and  also  the  remains  of 
Montrose.  It  was  founded,  however,  in 
honour  of  James  IV.  and  Queen  Margaret. 
At  the  royal  pew,  a  little  farther  on,  is  the 
Preston  Aisle,  and  the  beauty  of  its  groining 
is  said  to  surpass  anything  of  this  kind  in  the 


304  Old  Edinburgh 

world.  Dr.  Chambers  called  this  aisle  the 
"  Gem  of  St.  Giles." 

The  King's  Pillar,  said  to  have  been  erected 
in  1460  in  honour  of  the  infant  James  III., 
stands  at  the  north-east  corner  of  the  choir. 
The  Chambers  Aisle  is  at  the  east  side  of  the 
High  Street  entrance,  and  in  the  Albany 
Chapel  near  the  west  entrance,  is  a  monu- 
ment to  John  Knox,  whose  name  is  so  closely 
associated  with  that  of  the  church.  His 
pulpit  —  so  some  contend  —  from  which  he 
sent  forth  so  many  thrilling  messages  to  the 
people,  is  now  in  the  Antiquarian  Museum; 
other  antiquarians  have  doubts  regarding 
his  connection  with  this  relic. 

The  ragged  colours  of  the  distinguished 
Scottish  regiments  which  hang  in  the  nave  of 
St.  Giles,  are  additional  memorials  of  the 
historic  past  in  which  the  old  church  has  been 
so  prominent  a  figure.  These  tattered  and 
blood-stained  emblems  tell  of  many  triumphs 
on  hard-won  fields,  where  Scotland's  sons 
have  ever  been  in  the  thickest  of  the  fighting. 

Of  the  stained-glass  windows,  the  oriel  in 
the  west  gable  shows  the  royal  arms,  and  the 
legendary  incident  of  "  David  I.  and  the 


St.  Giles,  and  Parliament  Square     305 

stag."  The  great  west  window  has  as  subjects 
for  its  divisions  "  The  Prophets,"  while  the 
arms  of  the  craftsmen  of  Edinburgh  appear 
in  the  windows  of  the  clerestory.  In  the  ten 
choir  windows  are  subjects  relating  to  the 
history  of  our  Lord. 

The  ruthless  demolition  in  1798  of  the 
beautiful  north  doorway  with  its  grotesque 
Early  Norman  carvings,  must  ever  remain  a 
matter  of  deep  regret. 

As  a  concluding  note  of  interest,  we  might 
add  that  in  1700  there  were  hung  "in  the 
steeple  of  St.  Giles  "  a  good  and  sufficient 
cheme  or  sett  of  musickal  bells,  according  to 
the  rules  of  musick,  for  the  use  of  the  good 
toun  of  Edinburgh."  These  chimed  merrily 
for  many  years, 

"  'Twas  within  a  mile  o'  Edinburgh  toun, 
In  the  rosy  time  o'  the  year," 

until  by  reason  of  the  failing  hand  of  the 
venerable  ringer,  the  air  was  played  more 
and  more  slowly,  "  with  little  pauses  and 
blanks  of  silence,  like  a  pulse  that  is  beating 
out  its  last  of  a  long  and  busy  life." 

Behind  St.  Giles  in  Parliament  Square  was 


306  Old  Edinburgh 

the  old  churchyard  of  St.  Giles,  and  beneath 
this  pavement  lie  many  of  the  old  citizens 
and  patriots  who  fought  at  Bannockbum,  at 
Flodden,  at  Pinkie,  and  on  a  hundred  other 
hard-fought  fields.  A  small  square  stone  in 
the  pavement  with  the  brass  letters  "I.  K. 
1572,"  is  supposed  to  mark  the  grave  of 
John  Knox,  but  some  antiquarians  aver  that 
his  real  resting  place  is  under  the  leaden 
equestrian  statue  of  Charles  II.  near  by,  truly 
a  strange  monument  for  the  great  Reformer. 

The  "  Great  Fire  "  in  1700  entirely  changed 
the  aspect  of  Parliament  Square.  At  that 
time  there  stood  about  here  in  Parliament 
Close,  fifteen-story  houses  or  "  lands,"  tower- 
ing 130  feet  in  height.  These  all  disappeared, 
together  with  the  "  President's  Stairs  "  which 
led  down  into  the  Cowgate.  The  Parliament 
House  was  built  in  1632  after  designs  attrib- 
uted to  Inigo  Jones,  but  the  devastating 
hand  of  the  renovator  was  laid  upon  it  in 
1829,  and  its  quaint  Gothic  fa9ade  vanished. 

An  English  traveller  who  visited  Edin- 
burgh in  1705  says: 

"  The  Parliament  house  is  in  a  Square 
call'd  the  Parliament  Close,  where  are  per- 


St.  Giles,  and  Parliament  Square    307 

haps  the  highest  houses  in  the  world,  for  we 
counted  one  14  story  high.  Every  Staircase 
may  containe  28  Familyes,  for  the  Scotch 
houses  are  built  after  the  manner  of  the  Inns 
of  Court  in  England,  and  every  apartment  is 
call'd  a  house." 

The  narrow  alley  leading  into  Parliament 
Close  was  the  Paternoster  Row  of  Edinburgh, 
and  in  it,  Kay,  the  artist  who  has  left  in  his 
"  Portraits  "  quaint  record  of  so  many  of  the 
town  worthies  and  characters,  had  his  little 
print  shop.  The  new  County  Buildings  and 
the  fine  statue  of  Francis  Walter,  the  fifth 
Duke  of  the  "  bauld  Buccleughs,"  stand  on 
the  site  of  a  number  of  historic  old  closes; 
Adamson's  Close,  Turk's  Close,  Beth's  Wynd, 
Forrester's  Wynd,  and  Libberton's  Wynd, 
all  so  often  mentioned  in  old  Edinburgh 
history.  Only  the  stump  of  Dunbar's  Close 
remains,  where  in  the  "  Rose  and  Thistle  " 
Cromwell's  troops  were  quartered.  From  a 
"  bartizan,"  or  flat  roof  here,  Cromwell  could 
see  his  fleet  riding  at  anchor  in  Leith  Roads. 

In  the  Parliament  House  is  the  grand  old 
Parliament  Hall,  where  the  Scottish  Parlia- 
ment met  from  1639  until  1707.  The  proper- 


308  Old  Edinburgh 

tions  of  this  noble  hall  are  most  impressive. 
It  is  122  feet  long  by  49  feet  in  width,  and 
the  dark  oak  rafters,  with  cross-braces  and 
hammer-beams,  rest  on  curiously  carved  cor- 
bels. A  magnificent  stained-glass  window  at 
the  southern  end,  below  which  once  stood 
the  royal  throne,  represents  the  Institution 
of  the  Court  of  Session  by  James  V.,  in  1532. 
This  was  designed  by  W.  von  Kaulback,  and 
executed  by  the  Chevalier  Ainmuller  of 
Munich.  The  central  figure  is  the  youthful 
king,  while  his  mother,  Margaret  of  England, 
sits  at  the  right  of  the  throne.  The  king  is 
shown  surrounded  by  his  nobles  and  great 
officers,  in  the  act  of  presenting  the  charter 
to  the  Abbot  of  Cambuskenneth. 

This  hall  has  witnessed  much  that  made 
history.  Here  is  pointed  out  the  favourite 
seat  by  the  fire  of  "  the  Shirra,"  Sir  Walter 
Scott,  where  his  burly  form  crowned  by  the 
white  "  peak  "  was  wont  to  repose.  Lord 
"  Peter "  Robertson,  of  Falstaffian  mien, 
once  made  this  snowy  thatch  the  subject  for 
a  jest,  when  he  said,  "Here  comes  old  Peveril, 
I  see  his  Peak."  Scott  dryly  retorted,  "  Ay, 
ay,  maybe  as  well  to  be  Peveril  o'  the  Peak, 
as  Peter  o'  the  Paunch." 


LORD    BRAXFIELD,   THE        HANGING   JUDGE. 


St.  Giles,  and  Parliament  Square     309 

On  the  west  side  of  the  hall,  the  four 
windows  show  the  heraldic  bearings  of  great 
lawyers  and  statesmen,  who  since  its  founda- 
tion by  James  V.,  in  1532  —  the  scene  shown 
in  the  great  southern  window  —  have  digni- 
fied the  Court  of  Session.  We  find  in  the  hall 
also  many  memorials  of  celebrated  names  of 
bench  and  bar,  in  picture  and  in  stone; 
Dalrymple,  Dundas,  Cockbum,  Erskine,  Jef- 
frey, Lord  President  Duncan  Forbes,  the 
"  Bluidy  Mackenzie,"  with  many  others 
which  recall  the  brilliant,  the  witty,  and  the 
hard-drinking  judges  of  the  old  school,  who 
seasoned  their  judgments  from  the  bench 
with  broad  Scots,  and  with  broad  jokes  on 
occasion.  Many  anecdotes  might  be  told  of 
these  worthies  whose  forms  were  here  once 
so  familiar. 

Lord  Braxfield,  the  "  Hanging  Judge," 
was  Lord  Justice-Clerk  from  1788-99  and  the 
greatest  authority  of  his  time  on  feudal  law. 
This  "  Giant  of  the  Bench,"  as  Cockburn 
terms  him,  although  of  rough  and  overbearing 
manners,  was  in  reality  a  kind-hearted  man. 
He  was,  however,  as  the  grim  title  given  to 
him  would  indicate,  a  terror  to  evil  doers. 


310  Old  Edinburgh 

One  of  his  maxims  was,  "  Hang  a  thief  when 
he's  young,  and  he'll  no'  steal  when  he's 
auld."  His  remark  to  an  offender  who  had 
made  a  very  able  speech  in  his  own  defence 
is  characteristic:  "  There's  nae  doot  ye're 
a  vera  clever  chiel,  mon,  but  for  a'  that,  I'm 
thinkin'  ye  wad  be  nane  the  waur  o'  a 
hangin'."  His  butler  at  one  time  left  him  on 
the  ground  that  he  could  no  longer  stand  the 
constant  scolding  of  his  mistress.  "  Hoots, 
mon,"  said  the  old  lord,  "  is  that  a'  ye're 
leavin'  for?  Ye've  little  to  complain  o';  ye 
may  be  thankfu'  ye're  no'  marrit  to  her." 

The  Hon.  Henry  Erskine,  son  of  the  Earl  of 
Buchan,  was  one  of  the  ablest  lawyers  and 
one  of  the  most  famous  wits  of  eighteenth- 
century  Edinburgh.  He  was  in  later  years 
Lord  Advocate.  Jeffrey  says  of  him,  "  His 
wit  was  argument,  and  each  of  his  delightful 
illustrations  a  material  step  in  reasoning." 
Erskine's  eloquence  and  wit  were  so  enjoyed 
by  the  bench,  that  when  on  one  occasion  he 
said,  "  I  shall  not  need  to  take  up  much  of 
your  lordships'  time,  I  shall  be  very  brief," 
one  of  the  judges  mildly  protested,  "  Hoots, 
Maister  Harry,  dinna  be  brief,  —  dinna  be 
brief." 


HON.    HENRY    ERSKINE. 


St.  Giles,  and  Parliament  Square     311 

In  his  early  days  at  Parliament  House 
before  his  practice  became  absorbing,  Erskine 
was  continually  upsetting  the  gravity  of  the 
court  by  his  joking  propensities.  It  was  his 
special  delight  to  tease  Sir  James  Colquhoun 
of  Luss,  who  was  the  Principal  Clerk  of 
Session,  and  one  of  the  most  eccentric  charac- 
ters of  the  time.  "  On  one  occasion,  while 
Erskine  was  in  court  during  the  advising  of 
an  important  case,  he  amused  himself  by 
making  faces,  as  he  sat  at  the  clerk's  table 
beneath  the  judges.  The  victim  was  naturally 
much  annoyed  by  this  proceeding,  but  bore 
it  as  long  as  he  could.  At  last  he  could  stand 
it  no  longer,  and  disturbed  the  gravity  of  the 
court  by  rising  and  exclaiming,  '  My  lord  — 
my  lord  —  I  wish  you  would  speak  to  Henry ; 
he's  aye  makking  faces  at  me."  Harry, 
however,  was  looking  graver  than  the  judges. 
Quiet  was  restored,  and  the  advising  went 
on,  when  Sir  James,  happening  to  cast  his 
eyes  towards  the  bar,  was  met  by  a  new 
grimace  from  his  tormentor,  and  once  more 
convulsed  the  bench,  bar,  and  audience,  by 
roaring  out  in  his  rage,  '  See  there,  my  lord, 
he's  at  it  again.' " 


312  Old  Edinburgh 

The  Signet  Library,  within  the  Parliament 
House,  has  a  most  valuable  collection  of 
volumes  relating  to  Scottish  antiquity,  while 
in  the  Advocates'  Library  are  treasures  of 
priceless  value.  In  this  long  low  chamber, 
which  tradition  says  was  used  as  a  place  of 
trial  by  the  Privy  Council  in  the  "  Killing 
Time,"  may  be  seen  the  "  King's  Confession," 
by  which  Scotland  renounced  the  Papacy; 
the  "  Solemn  League  "  of  two  generations 
later,  when  she  abandoned  Prelacy;  and 
letters  penned  by  the  hands  of  Mary  Stuart, 
Charles  II.,  and  James  VII. 

Hours  may  be  spent  here  by  the  anti- 
quarian and  book-lover  over  the  rare  black 
letter  volumes  and  the  illuminated  missals 
and  breviaries,  some  being  rare  and  valuable 
beyond  price.  Here  also  are  relics  of  the 
"  Young  Chevalier,"  Prince  Charles  Edward, 
and  near  the  original  MS.  of  his  immortal 
"  Waverley  "  sits  Sir  Walter,  most  fittingly 
the  presiding  genius  of  the  place. 

At  the  junction  of  George  IV.  Bridge  and 
the  High  Street,  was  the  entrance  to  Libber- 
ton's  Wynd,  wherein  stood  "  Johnnie 
Bowie's,"  the  famous  "  Mermaid  Tavern  " 


St.  Giles,  and  Parliament  Square     313 

of  a  century  or  more  ago.  This  was  one  of 
those  favourite  spots  referred  to  by  Fer- 
gusson, 

"  Where  coothy  chields  at  e'enin'  meet, 
Their  bizzin'  craigs  and  mous  to  weet, 
And  blithely  gar  auld  care  gae  by, 
Wi'  blinkin'  and  wi'  bleerin'  eye." 

Here  Burns  and  his  cronies,"  Willie  "  Nicol 
and  Allan  Masterson,  held  many  a  convivial 
session.  At  the  head  of  the  wynd  three 
stones  in  the  pavement  mark  the  spot  where 
the  public  gallows  stood.  Many  a  criminal 
has  met  his  end  on  this  spot,  and  notably  the 
monster  Burke,  of  Burke  and  Hare  notoriety. 
Near  the  west  end  of  St.  Giles  our  attention 
is  arrested  by  a  heart-shaped  figure  in  the 
footpath.  This  marks  the  site  of  the  doorway 
of  the  famous  "  Heart  of  Midlothian  "  which 
Sir  Walter  Scott  describes  so  graphically :  — 
"  Antique  in  form,  gloomy  and  haggard  in 
aspect,  its  black  stanchioned  windows  open- 
ing through  its  dingy  walls  like  the  apertures 
of  a  hearse,  it  was  calculated  to  impress  all 
beholders  with  a  sense  of  what  was  meant  in 
Scots  Law  by  squalor  carceris." 


314  Old  Edinburgh 

Sir  Walter's  continuation  of  this  description 
gives  an  impressive  picture  of  St.  Giles  and 
its  surroundings  in  the  eighteenth  century :  — 
"  The  Gothic  entrance  of  the  ancient  prison, 
as  is  well  known  to  all  men,  rears  its  front 
in  the  very  middle  of  the  High  Street,  forming 
as  it  were  the  termination  of  a  huge  pile  of 
buildings  called  the  Luckenbooths,  which 
for  some  inconceivable  reason  our  ancestors 
had  jammed  into  the  middle  of  the  principal 
street  of  the  town,  leaving  for  a  passage  a 
narrow  street  on  the  north,  and  on  the  south, 
into  which  the  prison  opens,  a  narrow 
crooked  lane,  winding  between  the  high  and 
sombre  walls  of  the  Tolbooth  and  of  the  ad- 
jacent houses  on  one  side,  and  the  buttresses 
and  projections  of  the  old  Church  upon  the 
other.  To  give  some  variety  to  this  sombre 
passage  (well  known  by  the  name  of  Krames) 
a  number  of  little  booths  or  shops,  after  the 
fashion  of  cobblers'  stalls,  are  plastered  as  it 
were  against  the  Gothic  projections  and 
abutments,  so  that  it  seemed  as  if  the  traders 
had  occupied  with  nests  bearing  the  same 
proportion  to  the  building,  every  buttress 
and  coign  of  vantage,  as  the  martlet  did  in 


St.  Giles,  and  Parliament  Square     315 

Macbeth's  Castle.  Of  later  years  these  booths 
have  degenerated  into  mere  toy-shops  .  .  . 
but  at  the  time  of  which  we  write,  hosiers, 
glovers,  hatters,  mercers,  milliners,  and  all 
who  dealt  in  the  miscellaneous  wares  now 
termed  '  haberdashers'  goods,'  were  to  be 
found  in  the  narrow  alley." 

"  Luckenbooths  "  meant  locked  booths, 
as  distinguishing  them  from  the  open  and 
movable  booths.  There  was  a  break  in  the 
line  of  roofs  on  the  north  so  that  the  clock  of 
St.  Giles  might  be  seen.  A  narrow  passage 
between  was  called  the  "  Stinking  Stile," 
and  is  referred  to  by  Dunbar  in  his  poem 
"  To  the  Merchants  of  Edinburgh  "  as 

"  Your  stinkand  stile  that  standis  dirk, 
Holds  the  light  from  your  Parroche  Kirk." 

The  goldsmith's  shop  of  George  Heriot  — 
"  Jingling  Geordie  " —  was  a  tiny  "  krame  " 
or  booth  only  seven  feet  square,  resting  under 
the  western  gable  of  St.  Giles.  One  day 
"  Geordie,"  being  called  to  Holyrood,  found 
his  master  and  gossip,  King  "  Jamie,"  toast- 
ing his  royal  person  before  a  fire  of  sandal- 
wood  logs.  On  "  Geordie  "  remarking  that 


316  Old  Edinburgh 

the  aromatic  odour  from  the  flames  was  most 
agreeable,  "  Jamie  "  replied  that  it  was  like- 
wise costly.  Heriot  then  said  that  if  the  king 
would  visit  him  at  his  workshop  the  next 
day,  he  would  show  him  a  much  more  costly 
fire.  When  the  monarch  appeared  at  "  Geor- 
die's  "  booth,  all  he  saw  was  a  small  ordinary 
coal  fire,  and  expressed  his  surprise  thereat. 
"  But  wait  until  I  get  the  fuel, your  Majesty," 
said  Heriot,  who  unlocking  his  money-chest, 
produced  a  bond  for  £2,000  which  he  had  lent 
to  James,  and  placed  it  on  the  coals.  The 
canny  "  Jamie  "  watched  it  eagerly  until  it 
was  entirely  consumed,  before  he  said, 
"  Forsooth,  Maister  Geordie,  your  fire  costs 
the  mair."  Very  likely  Heriot  had  much 
more  fuel  bearing  the  same. signature.  The 
goldsmith  was  so  necessary  to  James  that  he 
had  to  follow  the  king  to  London  and  make 
his  residence  there.  He  did  not  forget  his 
native  town,  however,  as  the  great  hospital 
bearing  his  name  testifies. 

After  Allan  Ramsay,  the  poet-barber,  left 
the  sign  of  the  Mercury  opposite  Niddry's 
Wynd,  he  set  up  his  wig-blocks  at  the  lower 
end  of  the  Luckenbooths.  Here  he  estab- 


St«  Giles,  and  Parliament  Square     317 

lished  his  circulating  library,  the  first  in 
Scotland,  and  Gay  and  Smollett  were  his 
frequent  visitors.  Here  was  afterwards 
"  Creech's  Land,"  the  book-seller's  shop  of 
William  Creech,  publisher  of  the  "  Mirror  " 
and  the  "  Lounger,"  weekly  papers  on  the 
model  of  the  "  Spectator,"  to  which  all  the 
chief  Scottish  writers  of  the  time  contributed. 
His  shop  was  the  resort  of  all  the  Edinburgh 
wits  and  men  of  letters  during  the  end  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  and  the  "  Mirror  Club  " 
found  its  members  among  these. 

Their  weekly  club  meetings  were  kept 
secret,  and  were  never  held  twice  in  the  same 
place.  "  Clerihugh's  "  in  Writers'  Court, 
"  Fortune's "  in  Stamp  Office  Close,  and 
"Stewart's  Oyster  House,"  in  "Old  Fish- 
market  Close,"  were  among  the  places  fre- 
quented by  the  "  Mirror  Club."  Creech  and 
Robert  Burns  were  great  cronies,  and  Creech 
issued  the  famous  "  Edinburgh  Edition  "  of 
the  poet's  works.  Burns  often  mentions  the 
great  publisher  in  his  pieces. 


CHAPTER    XIII 

THE    HIGH    STREET 

IN  Byer's  Close  is  a  remnant  of  the  stately 
mansion  of  Adam  Bothwell,  Bishop  of 
Orkney,  and  Commendator  of  Holyrood 
House,  who  performed  the  marriage  ceremony 
between  Queen  Mary  and  the  Earl  of  Both- 
well.  Mary  herself  feasted  in  this  house ;  and 
here  lived  the  beautiful  Lady  Anne  Bothwell, 
whose  wrongs  are  recorded  in  the  old  ballad 
"Lady  Anne  BothwelTs  Lament."  This 
house  has  some  curious  old  dormer  windows 
with  heraldic  carvings. 

Advocates'  Close,  opposite  the  north- 
west corner  of  St.  Giles,  was  so  called  from 
Sir  James  Stewart  of  Goodtrees,  the  King's 
Advocate  during  almost  the  whole  period 
between  1692  and  1713.  This  was  a  fash- 
ionable place  of  residence  for  eminent  legal 
lights  in  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  Here  lived  Andrew  Crosbie,  the 

318 


The  High  Street  319 

original  of  Counsellor  Pleydell  in  "  Guy 
Mannering,"  and  we  may  imagine  Dandie 
Dinmont  and  Colonel  Mannering  stumbling 
down  this  narrow  alley.  There  are  still  some 
fine  old  doorways  in  this  close. 

Roxburgh  Close,  opposite  the  northern 
door  of  St.  Giles,  once  contained  the  town 
mansion  of  the  Dukes  of  Roxburgh,  evidenced 
by  the  door  lintel  bearing  the  date  1586. 
Warriston  Close,  near  by,  was  named  from 
Sir  Archibald  Johnston,  Lord  Warriston, 
whose  estate  was  on  the  north  side  of  Edin- 
burgh, his  mansion  being  herein.  The  print- 
ing establishment  of  the  great  publishing 
house  of  W.  &  R.  Chambers  is  situated  in  this 
close.  Their  "  Edinburgh  Journal "  and 
"  Encyclopaedia,"  with  other  great  works, 
are  known  wherever  the  English  language  is 
spoken. 

In  Writers'  Court,  a  few  steps  on,  was  the 
famous  "  Clerihugh's  Tavern,"  where  Colonel 
Mannering  and  Dandie  Dinmont  found  Coun- 
sellor Pleydell  playing  "  High  Jinks."  The 
haunted  Mary  King's  Close,  which  formerly 
adjoined  the  court,  was  the  scene  of  the 
ghostly  revels  described  in  Professor  Sin- 


320  Old  Edinburgh 

clair's  curious  "  Satan's  Invisible  World  Dis- 
covered." In  one  of  the  houses,  a  lawyer 
and  his  wife  had  the  following  experience :  — 

"  As  the  mistress  was  reading  the  Bible  to 
herself  on  the  Sabbath  afternoon,  she  spied 
the  head  and  face  of  an  old  man,  grey-headed, 
and  with  a  grey  beard,  looking  straight  upon 
her,  the  distance  being  very  short;  after  a 
little  time,  the  goodman  (her  husband)  cast 
his  eye  toward  the  chimney,  and  spied  the 
same  old  man's  head.  .  .  .  After  an  hour  or 
more,  they  perceived  a  young  child,  with  a 
coat  upon  it,  hanging  near  the  old  man's 
head  .  .  .  by-and-by  a  naked  arm  appears 
in  the  air,  from  the  elbow  downward,  and  the 
hand  stretched  out  as  if  to  salute  him  .  .  . 
they  next  saw  a  little  dog  come  out  of  the 
room  aforenamed,  which  composed  itself  on  a 
chair  to  sleep  .  .  .  then  a  cat  comes  leaping 
out,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  hall  began  to 
play  little  tricks  .  .  .  then  was  the  hall  full 
of  small  little  creatures  dancing  prettily." 

The  author  further  adds: —  "  Those  who 
were  foolhardy  enough  to  peep  through  the 
windows  of  the  houses  after  nightfall,  saw 
the  spectres  of  long-departed  denizens  en- 


The  High  Street  321 

gaged  in  their  wonted  occupations;  headless 
forms  danced  through  the  moonlit  apart- 
ments, and  on  one  occasion  a  godly  minister 
and  two  pious  elders  were  scared  out  of  their 
senses  by  the  terrible  vision  of  a  raw-head 
and  blood-dripping  arm  which  protruded 
from  the  wall  in  this  terrible  close,  and 
flourished  a  sword  above  their  heads."  In 
this  close,  until  1847,  remained  some  cellars 
which  had  been  sealed  up  since  the  last 
visitation  of  the  plague  in  1645. 

The  Royal  Exchange,  which  faces  the 
Market  Cross,  is  an  imposing  building  after 
the  Scots-Baronial  style.  This  was  erected 
in  1753,  and  stands  on  the  site  of  the  famous 
"  Black  Turnpike,"  where  Queen  Mary  slept 
for  the  last  time  in  her  capital.  The  Ex- 
change is  now  used  as  the  Municipal  Cham- 
bers, and  in  the  Council-Room,  where  the 
city  fathers  meet  —  a  noble  hall,  richly 
adorned  with  ornamented  panels  and  por- 
traits —  is  a  fine  bronze  statue  of  Prince 
Charles  Edward.  This  was  shipped  from 
France  "  in  the  '45,"  but  while  being  trans- 
ferred from  the  ship,  fell  overboard.  It  was 
judiciously  left  on  the  bottom  of  Leith  harbour 


322  Old  Edinburgh 

until  long  afterward,  when  it  was  fished  up 
by  the  admirers  of  the  "  Young  Chevalier." 
The  fine  Museum  of  Antiquities  in  the  Mu- 
nicipal Buildings  is  most  interestingly  illus- 
trative of  the  life  of  Old  Edinburgh. 

"  Dun-Edin's  cross,  a  pillar'd  stone, 
Rose  on  a  turret  octagon," 

writes  Sir  Walter  Scott,  of  the  Old  City  or 
"  Mercat  Croce."  This  now  stands  at  the 
entrance  to  Parliament  Square,  but  its  origi- 
nal site  was  a  little  further  down,  and  near 
the  centre  of  the  High  Street.  This  curious 
structure  of  mixed  Grecian  and  Gothic  archi- 
tecture bears  upon  the  top  of  its  central 
pillar  the  Scottish  Unicorn. 

In  1756,  the  "  Old  Cross  "  was  removed 
from  the  place  it  had  occupied  for  centuries 
by  order  of  the  Town  Council,  who,  to  say  the 
least  about  them,  had  no  taste  for  historical 
antiquities.  Portions  of  it  fortunately  were 
preserved,  and  the  "  Lang  Stane  "  or  shaft 
stood  for  some  time  within  the  railing  which 
once  enclosed  St.  Giles'.  In  1885,  it  became 
the  chief  portion  of  a  new  Cross  erected 
through  the  generosity  of  the  late  Right 


The  High  Street  323 

Hon.  William  Ewart  Gladstone.  The  present 
Cross  resembles  the  old  one  as  nearly  as  it 
was  possible  to  restore  it.  All  royal  procla- 
mations were  always,  and  still  are,  made  from 
the  Cross. 

This  Cross,  or  the  central  pillar  of  it  at 
least,  has  looked  down  on  the  great  events  in 
many  centuries  of  Scottish  history.  From 
it  came  at  midnight  the  warning  voice  before 
the  field  of  Flodden,  summoning  to  the 
domains  of  Pluto,  among  others  who  heard  it, 
"  Mr.  Richard  Lawson,  ill-disposed,  ganging 
in  his  gallery  fore-stair."  Here,  when  kings 
passed  along  the  High  Street,  flowed  foun- 
tains of  wine  as  part  of  the  celebration,  and 
here  that  good-natured  monarch,  James  VI., 
gathered  his  savage  nobles  to  grasp  hands  in 
amity  over  a  feast  partaken  of  before  the 
eyes  of  the  citizens. 

This  was  the  spot  appointed  for  major 
punishments,  while  the  Tron,  near  by,  was 
the  scene  of  the  penalties  inflicted  on  minor 
offenders.  Here  were  executed  Kirkaldy  of 
Grange,  the  Earl  of  Morton,  the  Argylls, 
Warriston,  Huntly,  and  Montrose.  In  1603 
the  Laird  Macgregor  of  Glenstrae,  betrayed 


324  Old  Edinburgh 

by  the  Earl  of  Argyll,  "  was  hangit  at  the 
Cross  and  eleven  mae  of  his  friends  and  name 
upon  ane  gallows;  himself  being  chief,  he 
was  hangit  his  awn  height  above  the  rest  of 
his  friends."  It  was  here  also,  in  1745,  that 
Prince  Charles  Edward  was  proclaimed  by 
his  devoted  Highlanders  amid  clang  of 
trumpets  and  "  skirling  "  of  bagpipes,  while 
the  beautiful  Mrs.  Murray  of  Broughton  sat 
on  horseback  beside  the  party,  adorned  with 
white  ribbons,  and  bearing  a  drawn  sword  in 
her  hand. 

In  former  times  the  Cross  was  the  great 
centre  of  gossip  of  the  Old  Town.  Near  here 
were  the  principal  coffee-houses  and  book- 
sellers' shops,  so  round  about  here  clustered 
at  certain  hours  of  the  day,  the  laird,  the 
noble,  the  parson,  the  lawyer,  and  the  town 
officers.  Hither  came  also  the  leading  mer- 
chants, and  the  men  of  talent  and  learning. 
Near  by  was  the  pillory  where  "  dyvours," 
or  bankrupts,  were  exposed  in  piebald  suits 
and  yellow  bonnets;  and  the  wooden  horse 
ridden  by  the  scold  and  drunkard.  The 
"  caddies,"  a  species  of  lazzaroni  who  for- 
merly existed  in  Edinburgh,  had  their  head- 


The  High  Street  325 

quarters  at  the  Cross.  A  ragged,  half- 
blackguardly  looking  set  they  were,  says 
Chambers,  but  amazingly  acute  and  faithful 
to  any  duty  intrusted  to  them.  These  were 
employed  chiefly  as  street-messengers,  and 
a  stranger  coming  to  the  town  got  a  caddy 
to  conduct  him  about  or  to  run  his  errands. 
They  knew  everything  about  everybody, 
and  to  quote  Lord  Kames  literally,  would 
"  fetch  any  man  to  ye  that  ye  wanted,  though 
they  had  to  gang  to  h-11  for  him." 

Craig's  Close  is  named  after  John  Craig, 
the  colleague  of  John  Knox,  and  had  at  its 
entrance  the  shop  of  the  famous  old  Scottish 
printer,  Andro  Hart.  Over  his  door  was  the 
inscription,  "  MY.  HOIP.  IS.  IN.  CHRYST. 
A.  S.  M.  K.  1593."  Constable,  the  publisher 
of  Sir  Walter  Scott's  novels,  lived  here  on 
the  first  stair  to  the  right,  and  over  the  door- 
way may  be  seen  his  monogram.  The  houses 
in  this  stair  contain  some  of  the  most  artis- 
tically decorated  mantel-pieces  to  be  seen  in 
Old  Edinburgh.  Another  famous  old  tavern, 
the  "  Isle  of  Man  Arms,"  was  within  this 
close,  and  here  the  "  Cape  Club,"  whose 
ritual  seems  to  have  been  a  parody  on  the 


326  Old  Edinburgh 

masonic  formula,  held  its  meetings.  Fer- 
gusson,  the  poet,  Runciman,  the  painter, 
Sir  Henry  Raeburn,  and  the  notorious  Dea- 
con Brodie  were  among  its  members.  In  the 
Museum  of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries  are 
the  minutes  of  this,  club,  which  was  founded 
somewhere  along  in  the  seventeenth  century. 
An  American  offshoot  is  still  in  existence  in 
South  Carolina. 

As  you  walk  along  the  High  Street  on  the 
north  side,  surprising  and  charming  glimpses 
are  had  through  the  steep  closes;  of  the  sky 
and  trees,  of  the  bright  and  busy  Princes 
Street,  and  of  the  gleaming  Firth,  with  the 
hills  of  Fife  beyond. 

Anchor  Close  contained  the  tavern  of 
Dawney  Douglas,  where  were  held  the  meet- 
ings of  the  famous  Crochallan  Club  which 
Burns  has  celebrated  in  prose  and  verse. 
Further  mention  is  made  of  this  in  "  Clubs 
and  Taverns."  William  Smellie,  the  founder 
of  this  club,  had  his  printing  office  in  this 
close.  "  Rattlin'  roarin'  Willie,"  as  Smellie 
was  called,  in  spite  of  his  convivial  tendencies, 
was  one  of  the  most  cultured  men  of  his  time. 
At  his  shop  were  wont  to  gather  for  a  social 


THROUGH    A    HIGH    STREET    CLOSE.       SCOTT 
MONUMENT    IN    THE    DISTANCE. 


The  High  Street  327 

"  crack "  or  chat,  the  famous  Edinburgh 
literati  of  the  time.  Professors  Adam  Fergus- 
son  and  Beattie;  Principal  Robertson;  Drs. 
Blair  and  Black,  and  Lords  Kames,  Mon- 
boddo,  Hailes,  and  Craig;  Henry  Mac- 
kenzie, David  Hume,  and  Home,  the  author 
of  "  Douglas,"  also  came  to  argue  or  joke 
with  "  Willie."  Burns  used  to  go  to  this 
printing-house  to  correct  his  proofs.  It  is  said 
he  would  walk  up  and  down  the  floor  cracking 
his  whip  until  they  were  ready,  when  he 
would  sit  on  a  three-legged  stool  and  revise 
them. 

In  the  Old  Stamp  Office  Close,  still  remains 
a  fragment  of  another  famous  old  tavern; 
"  Fortune's,"  where  the  Earl  of  Leven  held 
his  Assembly  levees.  This  was  originally 
called  Eglinton  Close,  from  its  containing 
the  town  mansion  of  the  Earls  of  that  name. 
Here  resided  Susanna,  Countess  of  the  ninth 
Earl  of  Eglinton,  reputed  to  be  the  most 
beautiful  woman  of  her  time. 

In  an  old  house  which  stood  in  Fleshmarket 
Close  until  1870,  when  it  was  demolished  by 
the  City  Improvement  Trustees,  was  a  secret 
passage  most  ingeniously  constructed,  which 


328  Old  Edinburgh 

would  suggest  all  sorts  of  mysterious  and 
romantic  happenings.  This  house  is  said  to 
have  belonged  to  one  William  Oikis,  and  in  it, 
tradition  states  a  rival  Parliament  assembled 
under  Regent  Lennox  in  1571.  While  plain 
externally,  this  old  mansion  had  throughout 
its  apartments  some  fine  stone  carving,  the 
fireplaces  being  especially  ornate. 

An  old  resident  who  in  later  years  was  an 
occupant,  while  poking  the  fire  on  one  occas- 
ion, hit  the  back  of  the  fireplace.  This  to  his 
great  surprise  opened  and  fell  back,  being  a 
single  stone  skilfully  pivoted.  A  flight  of 
stone  steps  was  revealed  which  led  to  the 
cellar,  and  the  passage  terminated  at  the 
built  up  opening  to  a  turnpike  stair.  As  the 
house  was  taken  down  before  this  information 
reached  investigating  antiquarians,  further 
particulars  were  not  obtained. 

The  steep,  winding  Cockburn  Street  was 
named  after  Lord  Cockburn,  a  famous  judge, 
and  a  most  entertaining  diarist  and  annalist 
of  his  time.  Where  the  magnificent  "  Scots- 
man "  buildings  now  stand,  was  once  the  site 
of  Mylne  Square,  erected  by  the  same  royal 
architect  who  designed  Mylne's  Court.  In 


The  High  Street  329 

one  of  the  tenements  on  the  west  side  of  the 
square  lived  Lord  Chief- Justice  Clerk  Alva 
up  whose  staircase  so  often  mounted  the 
notorious  old  fox  Simon  Eraser,  Lord  Lovat, 
in  his  subtle  game  of  hide-and-seek  with  the 
law. 

Behind  the  "  Scotsman  "  buildings,  in  the 
rear  of  the  quarters  of  the  branch  of  the 
National  Bank  of  Scotland,  we  may  still  see 
a  part  of  the  famous  "  Union  Cellar,"  the 
only  place  the  Scots  and  English  Commis- 
sioners could  find  where  in  peace  and  safety 
they  might  sign  the  Articles  of  Union. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  High  Street,  be- 
tween Parliament  Square  and  the  Tron 
Church,  most  of  the  houses  were  burnt  in  the 
fire  of  1824,  the  greatest  in  the  city  since  the 
English  invasions.  The  Old  Fishmarket  Close 
led  down  to  the  former  old  fish-market  of  the 
city,  which  began  in  1471,  when  in  the  reign 
of  James  III.,  it  was  ordered  that  "  twa 
busses  (boats)  with  alle  necessar  gear,"  be 
furnished  for  the  purpose  of  providing  the 
town  with  fish.  Here  Daniel  Defoe  lived 
when  editing  the  "  Courant,"  and  here 
George  Heriot,  the  royal  goldsmith,  com- 


330  Old  Edinburgh 

menced  his  married  life.  Borthwick's  Close 
contained  the  town-house  of  the  Lord  Borth- 
wick  of  Queen  Mary's  time, 

In  Old  Assembly  Close,  a  few  steps  east- 
ward, lived  Lord  Durie,  President  of  the 
Court  of  Session,  whom  Lord  Traquair  had 
kidnapped  and  kept  in  the  wilds  of  Annan- 
dale  until  his  lawsuit  was  won  by  the  decision 
of  a  judge  more  favourable  to  his  cause.  This 
deed  is  recorded  in  the  old  ballad  "  Christie's 
Will."  Durie's  mansion  was  afterwards  con- 
verted into  the  "  Assembly  Rooms,"  to 
which  the  directors  of  fashion  removed  in 
1720  from  the  West  Bow. 

In  Covenant  Close  was  the  ancient  house 
only  demolished  within  three  or  four  years, 
which  contained  the  "  long  room,"  entered 
by  a  secret  door  from  the  kitchen.  In  this 
room  was  signed  the  Solemn  League  and 
Covenant  when  that  national  pledge  was 
renewed  in  1649.  In  this  close  resided  many 
mighty  "  limbs  of  the  law,"  including  Mac- 
Queen  of  Braxfield,  the  celebrated  "  Hanging 
Judge." 

In  a  queer  old,  sixteenth-century  house  in 
Burnet's  Close,  "  Bozzy,"  Johnson's  biogra- 


The  High  Street  331 

pher,  was  born .  This  house,  which  stood  until 
quite  recently,  had  a  window  in  the  back  of 
the  kitchen  fireplace,  one  of  the  few  rare 
instances  of  this  domestic  arrangement  in 
Scotland  in  so  small  a  building. 

At  the  head  of  Bell's  Wynd  stood  the 
"  Clam  Shell  Turnpike,"  so  called  from  the 
clam  or  rather  escallop  shell  which  orna- 
mented the  tower  enclosing  the  turnpike 
stair.  This  was  the  episcopal  residence  of 
George  Crichton,  Bishop  of  Dunkeld,  and 
Abbot  of  Holyrood  in  the  days  of  James  V. 
The  holy  father,  by  the  way,  was  said  to  be 
more  jolly  than  holy;  "a  poor  priest,  but 
magnificent  housekeeper."  In  this  stately 
mansion,  afterwards  the  property  of  Lord 
Home,  Queen  Mary  and  Darnley  stayed  when 
they  returned  from  Dunbar,  soon  after  the 
murder  of  Rizzio. 

In  this  wynd  was  printed  in  1708  the  "Scots 
Postman,"  the  first  newspaper  in  Scot- 
land authorized  by  the  Government.  Here 
also  James  Johnson,  the  engraver,  brought 
out  his  "  Scots  Musical  Museum,"  to  the 
early  volumes  of  which  Burns  wrote  many 
songs.  In  Stevenlaw's  Close  lived  the  High 


332  Old  Edinburgh 

School  writing-master  and  crony  of  Burns, 
Allan  Masterton,  of  whom  the  poet  wrote:  — 

"  Oh  Willie  brew'd  a  peck  o'  maut, 
An'  Rob  an'  Allan  cam'  to  pree." 

The  City  Guard-House,  which  Sir  Walter 
Scott  describes  as  a  long,  low,  ugly  building, 
which  to  a  fanciful  imagination  might  have 
suggested  the  idea  of  a  black  snail  crawling 
up  the  High  Street,  stood  at  the  head  of 
Bell's  Wynd  until  1785.  At  one  end  of  the 
building  was  the  wooden  horse  on  which  for 
punishment  drunkards  were  mounted  with 
muskets  tied  to  their  feet.  The  Town  Guard, 
who  carried  as  arms  a  Lochaber  axe  and  a 
musket,  were  mostly  Highlanders,  and  very 
unpopular  with  the  townspeople.  From  their 
rusty  uniforms  they  were  known  as  "  the 
Town  Rats,"  and  the  Edinburgh  urchin  took 
particular  delight  in  making  life  as  miserable 
for  them  as  possible. 

When  the  South  Bridge  was  built,  several 
old  alleys  vanished,  and  among  them  was 
Merlin's  Wynd,  where  once  lived  Merlin,  the 
Frenchman  who  first  paved  the  High  Street. 
So  proud  was  he  of  his  work,  that  just  before 


The  High  Street  333 

his  death  he  begged  to  be  buried  under  the 
footpath  at  the  entrance  to  the  wynd.  This 
was  done,  and  formerly  six  stones  in  the 
pavement  marked  the  shape  and  position  of 
the  grave. 

The  Tron  Kirk  was  so  named  from  the 
"  Tron "  or  public  weighing-beam  which 
stood  near  it,  and  called  the  "  Salt  Tron  "  to 
distinguish  it  from  the  "  Butter  Tron  "  at 
the  Bowhead.  Its  full  name  is  Christ's  Kirk 
at  the  Tron.  Here  minor  offenders  were 
punished  by  "  skurging,  nailing  of  lugs,  nose- 
pinching,  and  boring  of  tongues."  This  was 
the  spot  where  bonfires  were  kindled  on 
occasions  of  public  rejoicing,  and  about  the 
Tron  Jenny  Geddes  and  other  "  kail- wives  " 
had  their  stalls. 

The  church  itself,  a  dingy  building  which 
dates  from  the  reign  of  Charles  I.,  had  its 
"  Dutch  looking  tower  "  destroyed  by  the 
fire  of  1824,  and  a  very  plain  spire  took  its 
place.  In  architecture  the  building  is  not 
remarkable,  but  it  is  historically  interesting 
from  its  pulpit  having  been  occupied  by  a 
number  of  eminent  preachers.  The  "  Tron 
Corner  "  has  always  been,  and  still  is,  the 


334  Old  Edinburgh 

great  trysting-place  of  the  Old  Town.  Crowds 
still  gather  here  to  listen  to  the  ringing  in  of 
the  New  Year,  and  glass  is  abundantly 
shattered  on  the  pavement  after  healths 
have  been  drunk  to  future  success.  It  may 
be  added  that  "  bonnie  Annie  Laurie  "  was 
married  in  this  church. 

Crossing  the  South  Bridge  we  reach  Niddry 
Street,  built  on  the  site  of  Niddry's  Wynd. 
This  wynd  abounded  in  most  curious  and 
antique  houses,  and  here  had  lived  many 
important  personages.  The  palatial  mansion 
of  Nicol  Edward,  a  wealthy  citizen,  and 
Provost  of  Edinburgh  in  1591,  was  in  this 
year  the  temporary  residence  of  James  VI. 
and  his  queen,  then  recently  arrived  from 
Denmark.  Several  wealthy  burghers  resided 
in  this  locality,  and  James  often  graced  their 
households  with  his  royal  presence  —  and 
royal  appetite  —  when  the  Holyrood  larder 
began  to  assume  an  aspect  of  desolation. 

Lord  Grange  lived  in  this  house  in  later 
years,  and  his  experience  with  his  wife  is  told 
by  Chambers  in  his  "  Story  of  Lady  Grange." 
She  was  before  her  marriage  Rachel  Chiesly, 
daughter  of  the  assassin  of  Lord  President 


The  High  Street  335 

Lockhart,  and  said  to  be  wonderfully  beauti- 
ful. Seduced  by  Grange  while  a  mere  child, 
she  confronted  him  with  a  pistol  and  threat- 
ened to  kill  him  unless  he  signed  a  paper  to 
marry  her.  For  twenty  years  they  lived 
happily  together,  until  her  ladyship  took  to 
drink,  when  fearing  from  her  violent  temper 
that  mischief  would  ensue,  Grange  had  her 
abducted  by  the  agents  of  the  notorious 
Simon  Fraser,  Lord  Lovat,  and  exiled  on  the 
lonely  island  of  St.  Kilda,  where  she  died. 

On  the  north  side  of  the  High  Street  nearly 
opposite  Niddry  Street,  was  an  interesting 
old  building  dating  back  to  1612,  which  sud- 
denly collapsed  one  winter  night  in  1863, 
burying  its  thirty-five  inmates  in  the  ruins. 
As  the  workmen  were  digging  among  the 
mass  in  vain  hope  of  rescue,  a  boy's  voice 
was  heard  from  beneath  encouraging  them, 
"  Heave  awa'  lads,  I'm  no  deid  yet."  None 
were  saved  but  he,  and  these  words,  with  the 
head  of  a  young  lad  carved  in  stone,  orna- 
ment the  new  building. 

In  Halkerston's  Wynd  was  in  ancient 
times  the  entrance  to  the  city  at  the  east 
end  of  the  Nor'  Loch,  and  at  the  foot  of  the 


336  Old  Edinburgh 

wynd  were  the  sluice-gates  for  regulating 
the  flow  of  water.  In  1544,  during  Hertford's 
invasion,  Halkerston  of  Halkerston  was  slain 
here  while  bravely  holding  the  "  port  "  with 
his  two-handed  sword  against  the  English. 

Allan  Ramsay,  Scotland's  greatest  pastoral 
poet,  commenced  business  as  a  wig-maker 
in  a  picturesque  timber-fronted  shop  near  the 
head  of  this  wynd,  at  the  "  Sign  of  the 
Mercury."  When  in  1726  he  had  become 
famous  as  a  poet,  he  removed  to  the  Lucken- 
booths  and  bade  farewell  to  his  wig-blocks. 

In  the  quaint  little  house  near  the  head  of 
Halkerston's  Wynd  he  commenced  married 
life,  and  from  his  shop  issued  his  songs  and 
poems  in  "  broadsides,"  which  the  chapmen 
hawked  about  the  streets.  It  was  the  custom 
for  the  citizens  of  Old  Edinburgh  to  send 
their  children  with  a  penny  to  buy  the  genial 
Allan's  "  last  piece,"  which  was  eagerly 
anticipated.  In  Carrubber's  Close,  near  by, 
Ramsay  built  the  first  Edinburgh  theatre  in 
1736,  which  was  such  a  losing  speculation  for 
him. 

Bishop's  Close  contained  the  town  house  of 
John  Spottiswood,  Archbishop  of  St.  An- 


The  High  Street  337 

drews.  Later  it  became  the  residence  of  Lord 
President  Dundas,  and  here  his  famous  son 
Henry  Dundas,  Lord  Melville,  was  born. 
Lady  Jane  Douglas,  the  heroine  of  the 
famous  "  Douglas  Peerage  Case,"  also  lived 
here,  and  the  great  Scottish  publisher,  Arch- 
ibald Constable,  began  business  in  this  house 
in  1795. 

In  Chalmer's  Close  was  the  mansion  of 
John  de  Hope,  founder  of  the  noble  family  of 
Hopetoun,  who  came  from  France  in  1537 
in  the  retinue  of  the  Princess  Magdalene,  the 
first  queen  of  James  V.  A  fine  view  of  the 
old  Trinity  College  Church  may  be  had  from 
the  foot  of  this  close.  The  original  church, 
founded  in  1462  by  Mary  of  Gueldres,  occu- 
pied part  of  the  site  of  the  present  Waverley 
Station.  When  taken  down,  the  stones  were 
carefully  numbered  and  re-erected  on  the 
new  site  on  Jeffrey  Street.  The  ancient 
gargoyles,  the  grotesque  faces,  and  the  fine 
old  windows,  will  strongly  appeal  to  admirers 
of  the  old  and  quaint. 

Turning  our  attention  now  to  the  south 
side  of  the  High  Street  below  the  South 
Bridge  we  come  to  Strichen's  Close,  formerly 


338  Old  Edinburgh 

called  Rosehaugh's  Close,  in  which  were  the 
town  houses  of  the  Abbots  of  Melrose  men- 
tioned in  the  "  Monastery."  Their  beautiful 
gardens  stretched  down  to  the  Cowgate,  and 
up  the  opposite  slope.  The  last  Abbot  of 
Melrose,  Andrew  Durie,  it  is  said  died  of 
grief  and  horror  when  the  Reforming  mob 
sacked  the  Church  of  St.  Giles.  Walter 
Chepman,  the  first  Scottish  printer,  lived  at 
the  head  of  the  close.  A  later  resident,  Sir 
George  Mackenzie  ("  Bluidy  Mackenzie  ") 
lived  in  the  house  at  the  left  at  the  foot 
of  the  close. 

Blackfriars  Wynd,  which  now  is  Black- 
friars  Street,  was  in  olden  times  the  largest 
and  most  important  of  the  thoroughfares 
leading  from  the  High  Street  to  the  south, 
and  here  dwelt  some  of  the  most  eminent 
ecclesiastics,  and  some  of  the  most  aristo- 
cratic families  of  Scotland.  It  was  the  main 
road  to  Blackfriars  Monastery  and  the  Kirk 
o'  Field,  belonging  entirely  to  the  friars,  upon 
whom  it  was  bestowed  by  Alexander  II. 

It  was  here  that  the  fierce  "  tulzie  "  known 
as  "  Cleanse  the  Causeway "  raged  most 
furiously,  when  the  victorious  Douglases  left 


The  High  Street  339 

the  street  strewn  with  dead  and  wounded. 
Here  it  was,  in  1588,  that  the  piratical  Earl 
Francis  of  Bothwell  pursued  Sir  William 
Stewart  of  Monkton,  and  "  thair  strake  him 
in  at  the  bak  and  out  at  the  belley  —  and 
killed  him,"  adds  the  conscientious  recorder. 
Small  wonder  that  Sir  William  survived  not 
such  a  rent  in  his  anatomy,  hardy  Scot 
though  he  was. 

One  of  the  famous  houses  of  Old  Edinburgh 
stood  at  the  foot  of  the  wynd  to  the  eastward. 
This  was  the  palace  of  the  Archbishop  of  St. 
Andrews,  Cardinal  David  Beaton.  This 
large  and  imposing  structure  in  which  Queen 
Mary  was  splendidly  entertained,  had  a 
picturesque  overhanging  turret  at  the  outer 
angle.  The  house  of  the  Earls  of  Morton 
stood  on  the  west  side  of  the  wynd,  with  its 
fine  Gothic  doorway  and  sculptured  tym- 
panum. Here  also  was  the  palatial  residence 
of  William  St.  Clair,  Earl  of  Orkney,  and 
founder  of  Roslin  Chapel,  of  whom  we  have 
elsewhere  spoken.  His  court  at  Roslin 
Castle  was  maintained,  it  is  said,  with  a 
greater  magnificence  than  had  served  for 
some  of  the  Scottish  kings. 


340  Old  Edinburgh 

South  Gray's  Close,  or  Mint  Close,  con- 
tained the  Scottish  "  Cunzie  House  "  or  Mint, 
which  was  used  from  Queen  Mary's  time  until 
the  Union.  The  gold,  silver,  and  copper 
coins  were  minted  by  the  rude  process  of 
hammering  and  milling.  It  may  be  of  inter- 
est to  note  that  much  of  the  gold  here  minted 
was  obtained  from  Scottish  mines.  These 
coins  were  so  frequently  clipped  and  sweated 
that  traders  carried  scales  in  their  pockets 
to  weigh  them.  After  the  Union,  the  English 
Mint  performed  the  coining  operations  for 
both  countries,  although  by  the  Treaty, 
Scotland  was  still  allowed  to  have  a  Mint. 
The  worn  Scottish  coinage  was  replaced  by 
Imperial  coinage  of  full  weight.  To  show 
to  what  extent  these  nefarious  practices  were 
carried,  it  was  found  at  the  Union  that  the 
real  value  of  the  gold  and  silver  coins  was 
but  one-twelfth  of  the  standard;  £1  Scots, 
equalled  only  is.  8d.  of  the  value  sterling. 

In  this  close  was  the  mansion  of  the  Earl 
of  Selkirk,  and  in  Hyndford's  Close  adjoining 
was  that  of  the  Earl  of  Hyndford.  These 
two  houses  were  afterwards  thrown  into  one, 
and  still  show  evidences  of  past  magnificence. 


The  High  Street  341 

In  later  years  dwelt  in  this  great  house  Pro- 
fessor Rutherford,  Sir  Walter  Scott's  grand- 
father, and  during  boyhood  the  great  novelist 
was  often  a  visitor  here.  In  Hyndford's  Close 
also  lived  Lady  Maxwell  of  Monreith  with  her 
two  daughters.  These  girls  —  one  of  whom 
afterwards  was  the  beautiful  Duchess  of 
Gordon  —  were  great  romps.  It  is  said  that 
one  of  their  favourite  pastimes  was  to  ride 
gaily  up  and  down  the  High  Street  mounted 
on  the  pigs  which  had  their  quarters  under 
the  fore-stairs.  Each  sister  took  turns  in 
riding,  while  the  other  whacked  the  gallant 
steed  with  a  stick  to  make  it  show  its  best 
paces. 

In  Fountain  Close  lived  Bassandyne,  the 
early  Scottish  printer,  whose  famous  folio 
Bible,  published  in  1570,  was  the  first  printed 
in  Scotland.  This  close  was  so  named  from 
the  fountain  which  formerly  stood  at  its 
head.  The  sculptured  heads  of  the  Emperor 
Severus  and  his  wife  Julia,  which  were  evi- 
dently taken  from  some  Roman  remains  near 
by,  were  long  visible  in  the  wall  of  Bassan- 
dyne's  house.  These  heads  are  now  in  the 
Antiquarian  Museum. 


342  Old  Edinburgh 

In  Tweeddale  Court  was  formerly  the 
mansion  of  the  Marquis  of  that  name,  and 
Defoe  mentions  it  among  the  princely  build- 
ings of  Edinburgh,  "  with  a  plantation  of 
lime-trees  behind  it."  It  was  first  built  by 
Dame  Margaret  Kerr,  Lady  Yester,  wife  of 
James,  the  seventh  Lord  Yester,  in  whose 
family  occurred  a  curious  event  in  1595.  His 
page,  Hepburn,  accused  his  Master  of  the 
Horse  of  attempting  to  poison  him.  The 
matter  was  brought  before  the  Council,  who 
agreed  that  it  should  be  decided  by  single 
combat.  Hepburn  was  victorious,  and  this 
is  the  last  instance  of  such  judicial  trials  by 
battle  in  Scotland.  In  this  court  occurred  the 
mysterious  "  Begbie  Tragedy,"  to  this  day 
unsolved.  Begbie,  the  porter  of  the  British 
Linen  Company's  Bank,  was  murdered  here 
in  1806,  and  robbed  of  a  large  sum  of  money. 
His  murderer  was  never  discovered. 

In  World's  End  Close,  originally  called  Sir 
John  Stanfield's  Close,  was  the  barber-shop 
of  William  Falconer  when  he  wrote  "  The 
Shipwreck."  At  the  foot  of  the  close  an 
ancient  lintel  bears  the  legend,  "  PRAISZE. 
YE.  LORD.  FOR.  AL.  HIS.  GIPTIS.  M. 


The  High  Street  343 

S.,"  and  a  shield  of  arms.  This,  with  a  rich 
Gothic  niche  built  into  an  adjoining  wall, 
is  all  that  remains  of  the  mansion  of  Sir 
John  Stanfield. 

A  later  Stanfield,  Sir  James,  was  supposed 
to  have  been  murdered  by  his  own  son, 
although  there  was  no  direct  evidence.  All 
that  could  be  elicited  by  torture  from  the 
servants,  was  that  he  had  cursed  his  father, 
and  linked  the  king's  name  with  those  of  the 
pope  and  the  devil.  When  this  son,  Philip, 
assisted  to  lift  the  body  into  the  coffin,  such  a 
flow  of  blood  occurred  that  both  his  hands 
were  covered  by  it.  This  of  course  was  evi- 
dence of  his  guilt  to  all  present,  from  general 
belief  at  this  period  in  the  ancient  "  ordeal  of 
touch."  Although  it  was  probable  that  Sir 
James  had  taken  his  own  life  in  a  fit  of  relig- 
ious melancholy,  the  boy  was  hanged  in  1689, 
his  tongue  cut  out,  and  his  head  spiked, 
while  his  mutilated  body  was  hung  in  chains. 
This  was  the  last  occasion  when  the  guilt 
of  the  suspected  person  was  assumed  on  this 
evidence  based  on  the  old  superstition. 

The  house  of  John  Knox,  near  the  Nether- 
Bow,  although  renovated  and  restored,  re- 


344  Old  Edinburgh 

mains  substantially  the  same  as  when  the 
great  Reformer  occupied  it.  With  its  outside 
stair,  peaked  windows,  and  projecting  gables, 
it  is  one  of  the  quaintest  relics  in  Edinburgh. 
These  outside  stairs,  or  "  fore-stairs,"  were  a 
feature  of  Old  Edinburgh  houses,  and  it  was 
from  them  that  the  women  reviled  the  un- 
happy Queen  Mary  when  she  rode  up  the 
High  Street  after  her  surrender  at  Carberry. 
In  the  olden  days,  it  was  a  very  common 
practice  to  keep  hogs  under  the  "  fore-stairs." 
In  fact,  during  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  swine  wandered  as  freely  about  the 
streets  of  Edinburgh  as  dogs  do  at  the  pres- 
ent day,  and  were  the  great  pets  and  play- 
mates of  the  children. 

But  to  return  to  our  subject,  John  Knox's 
house,  apart  from  his  connection  with  it,  is  of 
interest  historically.  Although  it  bears  the 
date  1490,  it  is  said  to  belong  to  the  period 
of  half  a  century  later.  Part  of  it  was  the 
dwelling  of  the  goldsmith  Mossman,  who  was 
executed  for  his  activity  in  Queen  Mary's 
behalf,  along  with  Kirkaldy  of  Grange,  the 
valiant  Governor  of  the  Castle. 

On  its  west  front  runs  the  legend  "  LVFE. 


The  High  Street  345 

GOD.  ABOUE.  AL.  AND.  YI.  NICHT- 
BOVR.  AS.  YI.  SELF."  A  small  effigy 
popularly  believed  to  represent  the  great 
Reformer,  decorates  the  angle  of  the  house 
near  the  "  preaching  window,"  from  which 
it  is  said  Knox  frequently  addressed  the 
people  below.  This  figure,  apparently  in  a 
pulpit,  is  pointing  with  right  hand  to  a  rude 
sculpture  representing  the  Sun  of  Righteous- 
ness bursting  through  the  clouds.  Upon 
this  disc  is  engraved  the  Divine  name  in 
Greek,  Latin  and  English;  "  0EO2  —  DEUS 
—  GOD."  Over  the  inscription  is  a  coat  of 
arms,  the  significance  of  which  is  unknown, 
representing  three  trees  and  three  crowns 
surrounded  by  a  wreath  of  flowers,  and 
bearing  at  the  four  corners  the  initials  J.  M. 
and  M.  A. 

As  a  picturesque  example  of  ancient  archi- 
tecture, possibly  the  oldest  of  this  style  in 
the  High  Street,  it  is  a  delight  to  the  lover 
of  the  antique,  and  its  interior  is  well  worth 
inspection.  The  audience  hall  has  been  fitted 
up  as  a  museum,  and  a  winding  stairway 
leads  to  the  bed-chamber  in  which  Knox 
died.  Beyond  is  his  study,  to  which  the 


346  Old  Edinburgh 

following  entry  in  the  Town  Council  Records 
refers : — 

"  Penultimo  Octobris  1561, —  Ye  samyn 
daye  ye  provost,  bailies  and  counsail  ordanes 
ye  Dene  of  Gyld  to  mak  ane  warm  studye 
of  dailies  (boards,  or  wainscoting)  to  ye 
mynistere  Ihone  Knocx,  wythyn  hys  hous, 
abune  ye  hall  of  ye  samyn,  wyth  licht  and 
wyndokis  theruntoe,  and  al  uther  neces- 
saris." 

The  size  of  the  building,  and  the  number  of 
entrances  to  it,  seem  to  indicate  accommo- 
dation for  several  families  at  one  time. 
Chambers  states  that  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
house  a  small  room  was  said  to  have  been  used 
as  a  baptistry,  on  occasions  when  secrecy 
was  desirable.  The  house  had  its  own  water 
supply  in  a  draw-well,  and  there  was  a  secret 
stair  leading  through  a  tunnel  to  the  next 
alley.  In  Knox's  time  the  kitchen  was  on  the 
fourth  floor. 

Although  the  great  Reformer  tenanted 
several  houses,  it  seems  to  be  established 
beyond  doubt  that  here  —  on  the  24th  of 
November,  1572  —  he  died,  Scotland's 
greatest  preacher  and  statesman.  Although 


The  High  Street  347 

we  do  not  know  just  how  long  he  lived  here, 
for  ten  years  at  least  he  was  a  familiar  figure 
in  the  neighbourhood.  To  Knox's  corner  all 
eyes  were  turned,  for  the  air  there  was  heavy 
with  importance.  The  Regent  Moray;  and 
Morton,  Ruthven  and  Lindsay  were  frequent 
visitors  here,  while  Queen  Mary's  messengers 
called  him  often  on  sudden  summons  before 
the  Privy  Council,  or  to  Holyrood. 

Notwithstanding  his  busy  and  exciting 
career,  Knox  found  time  for  another  wooing 
after  the  death  of  his  first  wife.  At  the  age 
of  fifty-eight  he  married  Margaret  Stewart, 
daughter  of  Lord  Ochiltree,  who  although 
many  years  younger  than  her  husband, 
proved  a  good  wife  to  the  old  man.  The  fact 
of  a  handsome  young  woman,  with  royal 
blood  in  her  veins  —  for  such  was  the  case  — 
accepting  an  elderly  husband  so  far  below 
her  degree,  excited  great  comment.  Knox's 
Roman  Catholic  enemies  asserted  that  he 
won  her  by  "  sorcerie  and  witchcraft,  whilk 
appears  to  be  of  great  probability,  she  being 
ane  damsel  of  noble  bluid,  and  he  ane  auld 
decrepit  creature  of  maist  base  degree,  sae 
that  sic  ane  noble  house  could  not  have  de- 


348  Old  Edinburgh 

generate  so  far,  except  John  Knox  had  inter- 
posed the  power  of  his  master,  the  devil." 

When  Knox  brought  his  youthful  bride 
home,  his  neighbours  were  amazed  to  see 
him  appear  riding  with  "  ane  great  court 
(cortege)  on  ane  trim  gelding,  nocht  like  ane 
prophet  or  ane  auld  decrepit  priest  as  he  was, 
but  like  as  he  had  been  ane  of  the  bluid  royal, 
with  his  bands  of  taffeta  fastenit  with  golden 
rings  and  precious  stanes."  From  this  we 
might  infer  that  John  was  not  entirely  free 
from  the  spirit  of  worldly  pride  and  pomp 
for  which  he  so  often  rebuked  his  young 
Queen  Mary. 

M'Crie,  in  his  life  of  Knox,  tells  us  that  in 
1571,  when  he  was  obnoxious  to  the  adherents 
of  Queen  Mary,  "one  evening  a  musket-ball 
was  fired  in  at  his  window  and  lodged  in  the 
roof  of  the  apartment  in  which  he  was  sitting. 
It  happened  that  he  was  sitting  in  a  different 
part  of  the  room  from  that  which  he  had 
been  accustomed  to  occupy,  otherwise  the 
ball  must  have  struck  him." 

It  would  be  the  general  impression  in  read- 
ing of  the  active  and  laborious  exertions  of 
Knox  that  he  was  a  man  of  robust  constitu- 


The  High  Street  349 

tion.  On  the  contrary  he  was  small  in  stature, 
and  of  a  weakly  habit  of  body,  a  fact  which 
serves  to  give  a  higher  idea  of  the  vigour  of 
his  mind.  His  portrait  in  Queen  Mary's 
bedchamber  at  Holyrood  gives  evidence  of 
his  characteristic  traits;  austerity,  intre- 
pidity and  keen  penetration.  His  long  flow- 
ing beard,  "  reaching  to  his  middle,"  says 
Dr.  M'Crie,  was  the  chief  thing,  according  to 
some  writers,  which  procured  him  such  rever- 
ence among  his  countrymen. 

There  can  be  no  doubt,  however,  but  that 
Knox  was  a  man  of  tremendous  personal 
force  and  magnetism  to  have  so  influenced 
his  contemporaries.  We  are  told  that  his 
hold  on  the  affection  of  his  people  was  so 
great,  that  after  he  had  preached  his  farewell 
sermon  in  St.  Giles  a  fortnight  before  his 
death,  the  whole  congregation  with  tears 
and  lamentations,  followed  his  feeble  foot- 
steps to  his  dwelling. 


CHAPTER    XIV 

THE    CANONGATE 

FROM  John  Knox's  house  it  was  but  a 
few  steps  to  the  Nether-Bow  Port,  but 
of  this  arched  and  battlemented  gateway 
which  divided  the  capital  from  the  ancient 
Burgh  of  Canongate,  nothing  now  remains. 
By  a  curious  notion  on  the  part  of  the  dwellers 
in  the  capital,  their  last  close  on  the  city 
boundary  at  the  Nether-Bow  was  called  the 
"  World's  End,"  which  seems  to  indicate 
their  quaint  conceit  that  this  point  was  the 
end  of  interest. 

The  Canongate  was  originally  a  village  or 
burgh  of  itself  established  by  David  I.,  in 
1128,  and  under  the  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction 
of  the  Abbots  and  Canons  of  Holyrood.  It 
had  its  own  Market  Cross  and  Tolbooth,  and 
a  burghal  government  entirely  independent 
of  the  capital.  After  the  Reformation  it 
reverted  to  the  Crown  and  was  granted  by 

860 


THE   NETHER  -  BOW    PORT   FROM   THE    EAST,   TAKEN    DOWN 
1764. 


The  Canongate  351 

James  VI.  to  the  Earl  of  Roxburgh,  who  in 
1636  sold  it  to  the  Magistrates  of  Edinburgh. 
It  now,  like  Leith,  comes  under  the  civic 
authority  of  Edinburgh,  being  governed  by  a 
"  baron  and  bailiff  "  selected  by  the  Town 
Council. 

In  course  of  time  owing  to  its  proximity 
to  the  Palace  of  Holyrood,  it  became  the 
"  Court  quarter,"  being  even  more  the  resi- 
dence of  the  nobility  than  Edinburgh;  "  and 
as  such,"  says  Chambers,  "  it  has  borne  upon 
its  pavement  the  burden  of  all  that  was 
beautiful  and  gallant,  and  all  that  has  become 
historically  interesting  in  Scotland  for  the 
last  seven  hundred  years." 

The  Canongate  was  famed  for  its  beautiful 
women,  and  Fergusson  in  his  "  Satire  on 
Court  Ladies,"  thus  speaks  of  the  haughty 
fair  ones :  — 

"  The  lassies  o'  the  Canongate, 
Oh,  they  are  wondrous  nice, 
They  winna  gi'e  a  single  kiss 
But  for  a  double  price." 

Until  the  Union  with  England  in  1707 
the  Canongate  continued  to  be  a  locality  of 


352  Old  Edinburgh 

importance,  but  its  pride  vanished  with  the 
removal  of  the  King  and  Court  to  London. 
When  the  gentry  took  their  departure  from 
its  precincts  it  became  the  residence  of  a 
far  different  class  of  society.  Allan  Ramsay 
thus  writes  after  its  fallen  fortunes :  — 

"  Ah,  Canigate  puir  eldrich  hole, 
What  loss,  what  crosses  dost  thou  thole ! 
London  and  death  gar  thee  look  droll, 
And  hing  thy  head." 

Sir  Walter  Scott  lingered  often  among  the 
historical  and  literary  associations  of  the 
Canongate.  Says  Lockhart,  "  no  funeral 
hearse  crept  more  leisurely  than  did  his 
landau  up  the  Canongate;  and  not  a  queer 
tottering  gable  but  recalled  to  him  some 
long  buried  memory  of  splendour  or  blood- 
shed, which,  by  a  few  words,  he  set  before 
his  hearer  in  the  reality  of  life." 

The  Canongate  enters  largely  into  his 
romances.  At  its  very  entrance  we  remember 
how  the  Porteous  Mob  secured  the  gates 
of  the  Nether-Bow  Port  to  prevent  the 
soldiers  entering  the  city  before  their  ven- 
geance was  accomplished.  On  the  east  side 


The  Canongate  353 

of  this  gate  stood  "  Paul's  Work."  In 
"  The  Heart  of  Midlothian,"  when  Sharpit- 
law  is  trying  to  refresh  the  memory  of 
Madge  Wildfire,  he  asks  her,  "  Were  I  to 
send  you  to  the  Wark-house  in  Leith  Wynd 
and  gar  Jock  Dalgleish  lay  the  tawse  on 
your  back  —  "  "  That  wad  gar  me  greet, 
but  it  couldna  gar  me  mind,  ye  ken,"  said 
Madge.  "  My  Lord  Seton's  Ludging,"  where 
Roland  Graeme,  in  "  The  Abbot,"  took 
refuge  after  the  street  fight,  was  the  Earl  of 
Winton's  mansion 'where  Whitefoorde  House 
now  stands;  and  many  other  spots  immor- 
talized by  Scott's  magic  pen  might  be  men- 
tioned. Although  it  suffered  severely  at  the 
hands  of  the  English  both  before  and 
after  Queen  Mary's  time,  the  Canongate 
still  remains  of  undoubted  antiquity. 

Cranston  Street  was  anciently  Leith  Wynd, 
the  chief  approach  to  Edinburgh  from  Leith. 
In  this  wynd  was  "  Paul's  Work,"  the  Old 
House  of  Correction,  formed  after  the  Refor- 
mation by  combining  several  hospitals  and 
religious  buildings  which  stood  here.  The 
Collegiate  Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity, 
erected  in  1462  by  Mary  of  Gueldres,  Queen 


354  Old  Edinburgh 

of  James  II.,  shortly  after  her  husband's 
death  at  the  siege  of  Roxburgh,  was  on 
the  west  side  of  the  wynd.  Attached  to  it 
was  the  famous  Trinity  Hospital,  a  curious 
relic  of  early  times.  The  head  of  Leith 
Wynd  is  now  represented  by  Jeffrey  Street. 

The  church  was  dedicated  by  its  foundress 
to  — "  The  salvation  of  the  soul  of  the 
late  illustrious  Prince  James,  King  of  Scots, 
our  late  husband  of  pious  memory;  likewise 
for  the  souls  of  all  kings  and  queens  of  Scot- 
land deceased;  also  for  the  salvation  of 
the  illustrious  Prince,  our  son,  James,  the 
present  King  of  Scotland,  and  for  the  sal- 
vation of  our  own  soul.  ..." 

This  church  —  next  to  St.  Giles  the  most 
important  of  the  ecclesiastical  antiquities 
of  the  city  —  was  a  fine  specimen  of  Scottish 
decorated  Gothic  of  the  fifteenth  century. 
When  it  was  demolished  in  1848  to  make 
room  for  the  North  British  Railway  station, 
the  body  of  the  foundress  was  found  enclosed 
in  a  leaden  coffin  near  the  high  altar,  and 
it  was  noted  that  the  teeth  were  still  intact 
in  the  jaws.  The  remains,  after  being  placed 
in  an  oaken  casket,  were  re-interred  in  the 


*       The  Canongate  355 

royal  vault  at  Holyrood.  The  form  and 
architecture  of  this  old  church,  which  was 
a  landmark  for  four  hundred  years,  have 
been  preserved  in  the  new  Trinity  College 
Church  in  Jeffrey  Street,  which  is  formed 
from  the  stones  of  the  original  building. 
These  were  numbered  and  set  up  here  in 
the  order  in  which  they  were  taken  down. 
The  fine  old  windows  and  the  ancient  Gothic 
gargoyles  and  corbels  are  most  interesting. 

The  old  St.  Mary's  Wynd,  which  is  now 
St.  Mary  Street,  took  its  name  from  a  Cis- 
tercian nunnery  dedicated  to  the  Virgin 
Mary,  which  stood  on  the  west  side  of  the 
wynd.  This  was  the  principal  highway  to 
the  south,  and  both  these  throughfares, 
Leith  Wynd  and  St.  Mary's  Wynd,  were 
ancient  Roman  roads. 

St.  Mary's  Wynd,  which  was  just  outside 
the  city  wall,  was  one  of  the  most  picturesque 
and  interesting  spots  in  the  Old  Town.  In 
it  was  the  famous  "  White  Horse  Inn  "  in 
which  Johnson  stayed,  and  where  he  stormed 
at  the  waiter  for  using  his  fingers  instead  of 
the  sugar-tongs.  This  was  a  celebrated 
hostelry  for  generations,  and  its  roof  sheltered 


356  Old  Edinburgh 

at  one  time  or  another  most  of  the  Scottish 
gentry.  Mine  host  kept  all  their  signatures 
in  an  imposing  volume  which  he  called  his 
"  Family  Bible."  James  Norrie,  the  first 
Scottish  landscape  artist,  whose  beautiful 
decorative  work  still  remains  in  some  of  the 
old  mansions,  lived  in  St.  Mary's  Wynd  and 
here  Allan  Ramsay  the  younger,  the  king's 
portrait  painter,  received  early  training. 
The  Cowgate  Port,  one  of  the  old  city 
"  ports,"  built  in  1513,  guarded  the  foot  of 
this  ancient  wynd. 

Coull's  Close,  on  the  north  side  at  the  head 
of  the  Canongate,  was  the  scene  of  the  grue- 
some story  told  by  Scott  in  his  notes  to 
"  Rokeby."  It  was  here  at  midnight  that 
the  nameless  divine  was  brought  blind- 
folded, to  find  that  the  "  person  at  the  point 
of  death  "  he  was  to  pray  for,  was  a  young 
woman  and  her  newly  born  infant.  Her 
murder  was  accomplished  as  soon  as  he  left 
the  room,  for  as  he  was  conducted  down  the 
stairs  he  heard  the  report  of  a  pistol.  He 
was  taken  safely  home  and  a  purse  of  gold 
forced  upon  him,  with  the  warning  that  any 
word  in  allusion  to  his  strange  experience 
would  cost  him  his  life. 


The  Canongate  357 

The  next  morning,  he  heard  to  his  horror, 
that  a  fire  had  broken  out  in  a  house  of  a 
noble  family  in  the  Canongate,  with  such 
fury  that  the  beautiful  young  daughter  of 
the  family  had  perished  in  the  flames. 
Long  years  afterward,  a  fire  occurred  on 
the  same  spot,  and  when  the  flames  were 
at  their  height,  a  beautiful  female,  clothed 
in  a  rich  night-dress  of  antique  pattern, 
appeared  in  the  very  midst  of  the  fire  and 
spoke  this  prophecy:  "  Anes  burned  — 
twice  burned  —  the  third  time  I'll  scare 
ye  a'."  For  many  years  afterward  the 
outbreak  of  fire  in  this  neighbourhood  was 
regarded  with  great  apprehension. 

In  the  front  of  a  large  square  tenement 
called  "Morocco  Land,"  which  fronts  Mo- 
rocco Close,  is  the  figure  of  a  turbaned  Moor 
perched  in  a  stone  pulpit.  This  is  a  relic  of 
the  great  plague  of  1645,  and  the  story 
connected  with  this  strange  embellishment 
is  told  in  explanation. 

"  During  one  of  the  popular  outbreaks  in 
the  city  soon  after  Charles  I.  had  come  to 
the  throne,  the  house  of  the  Provost,  who 
had  become  much  disliked,  was  broken  into 


358  Old  Edinburgh 

and  a  riot  ensued.  Andrew  Gray,  son  of 
the  Master  of  Gray,  was  arrested  as  ring- 
leader, and  notwithstanding  the  entreaties 
of  powerful  friends,  was  sentenced  by  the 
exasperated  Provost  to  be  executed  almost 
immediately  after  the  trial.  The  scaffold 
was  already  being  prepared  for  him,  when 
on  the  night  before  his  execution,  he  escaped 
from  the  Tolbooth  by  means  of  a  rope  and 
file  conveyed  to  him  by  a  faithful  friend.  A 
boat  lay  at  the  foot  of  one  of  the  neighbouring 
closes  by  which  he  was  ferried  over  the  North 
Loch,  and  long  ere  the  gates  were  opened  in 
the  morning,  he  was  on  his  way  to  other 
lands. 

"  Years  passed,  and  all  had  been  forgotten. 
Gloom  and  terror  pervaded  the  streets  of 
the  capital.  It  was  the  terrible  year  1645, 
the  last  visitation  of  the  plague  to  Edinburgh ; 
so  awful  were  its  ravages  that  grass  grew 
in  the  streets.  Meantime  the  victorious 
Montrose  was  threatening  the  city,  and  there 
were  scarce  sixty  men  left  fit  to  defend  the 
walls.  Still  they  strove  to  repair  them,  and 
to  keep  him  out.  In  the  midst  of  these 
preparations  a  large  armed  vessel  of  curious 


The  Canongatc  359 

form  and  rigging  was  seen  to  sail  up  the 
Forth  and  cast  anchor  in  Leith  Roads.  The 
ship  was  pronounced,  by  experienced  sea- 
men, to  be  an  Algerine  rover,  and  immedi- 
ately all  was  consternation  and  dismay.  A 
detachment  of  the  crew  landed  and  proceeded 
towards  Edinburgh,  which  they  approached 
by  the  Watergate,  and  passing  up  the  Canon- 
gate  demanded  admission  at  the  Nether- 
Bow  Port.  The  magistrates  offered  to 
ransom  the  city  on  exorbitant  terms,  warning 
the  Moors,  at  the  same  time,  of  the  dreadful 
scourge  to  which  they  would  expose  them- 
selves if  they  entered.  All  was  in  vain. 

"  Sir  John  Smith,  meantime,  went  to 
consult  some  of  the  more  influential  citizens, 
and  returned  to  the  Nether-Bow  accom- 
panied by  a  body  of  them,  among  whom 
was  his  brother-in-law,  Sir  William  Gray, 
one  of  the  wealthiest  citizens  of  the  period. 
A  large  ransom  was  agreed  to  be  received, 
when  the  Moorish  leader  insisted  that  the 
Provost's  son  should  be  a  hostage.  He  was 
told  the  Provost  had  only  a  daughter,  who 
lay  dying  of  the  plague,  of  which  her  cousin, 
Egidia  Gray,  had  just  died.  This  information 


360  Old  Edinburgh 

produced  a  singular  effect  on  the  pirate.  He 
announced  that  he  had  a  wondrous  elixir, 
an  infallible  specific  in  cases  of  the  pestilence, 
and  demanded  that  he  be  allowed  to  cure  the 
daughter  of  the  Provost,  promising,  if  he 
failed,  to  free  the  town  of  all  ransom.  After 
much  delay  the  Provost  consented,  his 
daughter  was  carried  in  a  litter  to  the  house 
which  we  are  now  considering,  whence  in 
a  day  or  two,  she  was  restored  to  her 
father  absolutely  cured. 

"  Then  the  secret  was  declared.  The  Moor 
was  Andrew  Gray.  After  being  captured  by 
pirates  and  sold  as  a  slave,  he  had  won  the 
favour  of  the  Emperor  of  Morocco,  and 
had  risen  to  rank  and  wealth  in  his  service. 
Returning  to  Scotland  with  the  intention  of 
revenging  his  wrongs  on  the  Provost  and 
Magistrates  of  Edinburgh,  he  found  in  the 
destined  object  of  his  vengeance  a  relative 
of  his  own.  The  remainder  of  the  tale  is, 
that  he  married  the  Provost's  ^daughter  and 
settled  down  a  wealthy  citizen  in  the  burgh 
of  the  Canongate.  The  house  to  which  his 
fair  patient  was  borne,  and  where  he  lived 
with  her  as  his  bride,  is  still  adorned  with 


The  Canongate  361 

the  effigy  of  his  patron,  the  Emperor  of 
Morocco." 

The  site  of  Jack's  Land  is  nearly  opposite 
St.  John  Street.  Here  Hume  finished  his 
History  of  England,  and  Susanna,  the  beauti- 
ful Countess  of  Eglinton,  lived  here  in  her 
later  years.  In  her  old  age,  taming  rats  was 
the  strange  amusement  of  her  ladyship,  who 
had  been  the  greatest  belle  of  her  time. 
Seven  of  her  eight  daughters,  all  beautiful 
women,  resided  with  her.  She  entertained 
Prince  Charles  Edward  and  his  suite  in  1745 
when  his  Highlanders  held  the  city,  and  the 
gallant  Prince  presented  her  with  his  full- 
dress  plaid  when  he  marched  away.  The 
ring  of  stones  in  the  causeway  marks  the  site 
of  St.  John's  Cross,  where  the  Provost,  Alex- 
ander Clark,  was  knighted  by  Charles  I.  at 
his  state  entry  in  1633. 

In  Big  Jack's  Close  lived  General  Sir 
Thomas  Dalziel,  Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
Scottish  forces  from  1663,  and  cruel  perse- 
cutor of  the  Covenanters.  His  hatred  of 
them  was  so  great,  from  his  belief  that  they 
had  betrayed  their  king  to  Cromwell,  that 
he  swore  for  every  hair  in  his  beard  he  would 


362  Old  Edinburgh 

put  a  Covenanter  to  death.  Prom  the  day 
of  the  execution  of  Charles  I.  his  long  white 
"  vow-beard  "  remained  uncut,  and  he  was 
the  most  savage  among  the  hunters  of  the 
Covenanters. 

Moray  House,  one  of  the  most  interesting 
houses  in  the  Canongate,  was  built  about 
1628  by  the  Dowager  Countess  of  Home. 
Her  initials,  M.  H.,  with  a  coronet  above,  are 
seen  on  the  south  gable  over  the  large  central 
window.  The  house  later  passed  into  the 
family  of  the  Earls  of  Moray.  Cromwell  in 
1648  had  his  quarters  here,  and  Charles  I. 
and  Charles  II.  have  been  beneath  its  roof. 
The  house  presents,  perhaps,  more  striking 
features  architecturally  than  any  other  man- 
sion in  the  Old  Town.  From  the  street,  the 
main  feature  of  the  front  is  the  balcony,  from 
which  the  Marquis  of  Argyll  and  his  newly 
wedded  son  and  daughter-in-law  —  Lord 
Lome  and  Lady  Mary  Stuart,  eldest  daughter 
of  the  Earl  of  Moray  —  with  the  wedding 
guests,  looked  down  upon  the  Marquis  *  of 
Montrose  as  he  was  being  carted  up  the 
Canongate  to  be  executed  at  the  Cross. 
Argyll,  "  the  master  fiend,"  as  Aytoun  calls 


The  Canongate  363 

him,  could  not  forbear  showing  his  exultation 
on  seeing  his  most  bitter  enemy  reduced 
beneath  his  feet,  and  such  was  the  venomous 
hate  of  his  marchioness  that  she  actually 
spat  at  their  fallen  foe  as  he  passed.  They 
shrank  back  in  confusion,  however,  from  the 
calm  gaze  of  the  captive,  who  regarded  them 
with  serene  composure.  Wilson  says,  "  This 
remarkable  incident  acquires  a  deeper  inter- 
est, when  we  consider  that  three  of  these 
onlookers,  including  the  gay  and  happy 
bridegroom,  perished  by  the  hand  of  the 
executioner  on  the  same  fatal  spot  to  which 
the  gallant  Marquis  was  passing  under  their 
gaze." 

A  feature  of  the  house  are  the  two  large 
stone  spires  which  surmount  the  massive 
pillars  of  the  gateway,  while  over  the  win- 
dows are  ornate  entablatures.  In  the  rooms 
—  of  noble  proportions  —  the  ceilings  are 
very  beautiful.  Some  are  divided  into 
squares,  each  one  of  which  contains  the 
heraldic  emblem  associated  with  the  many 
titles  borne  by  the  famous  House  of  Moray, 
while  others  are  artistically  moulded  into 
designs  representing  flowers,  fruit,  and  foliage. 


364  Old  Edinburgh 

In  the  large  gardens  once  stood  the  old  stone 
summer-house  where  the  Union  Commis- 
sioners met  in  a  vain  effort  to  sign  the 
"  Articles,"  and  a  thorn  tree,  believed  to  have 
been  planted  by  Queen  Mary,  was  for  many 
years  an  object  of  great  interest.  Moray 
House  is  now  the  United  Free  Church  Train- 
ing College. 

Under  a  large  archway  we  enter  St.  John 
Street,  which  was  once  one  of  the  most 
aristocratic  quarters  in  the  Old  Town.  Its 
houses  were  then  thought  to  be  very  spacious 
and  elegant,  and  much  superior  accommoda- 
tion to  the  "  lands  "  with  their  "  flats  "  and 
winding  stairs.  The  Canongate  Kilwinning 
Lodge  of  Freemasons,  of  which  Bums  was 
"  poet  laureate,"  met  in  the  turreted  build- 
ing on  the  right  after  passing  under  the  arch. 

James  Ballantyne,  printer  of  the  original 
edition  of  the  Waverley  Novels,  lived  at  No. 
10,  and  here  he  gave  those  dinners  just  before 
the  publication  of  a  new  novel  by  "  the 
Author  of  Waverley,"  the  Great  Unknown. 
During  dessert  the  host  read  most  impressively 
a  chapter  or  two  of  the  new  novel.  In  No.  13 
lived  James  Burnett,  the  celebrated  Lord 


The  Canongate  365 

Monboddo,  and  his  beautiful  daughter,  Miss 
Burnett,  a  famous  belle.  Chambers  says, 
"  The  manners  of  Lord  Monboddo  were  not 
more  odd  than  his  person.  He  looked  rather 
like  an  old  stuffed  monkey  draped  in  a  judge's 
robe  than  anything  else.  His  face,  however, 
bore  traces  of  high  intellect."  A  very  power- 
ful man,  he  could  walk  fifty  miles  a  day,  his 
usual  refreshment  on  such  a  trip  being  a 
bottle  of  port  wine  poured  into  a  bowl,  which 
he  drank  at  a  draught.  Lord  Cockburn  wrote 
of  him,  that  his  peculiarities  were  classical 
learning,  good  conversation,  excellent  sup- 
pers, and  ingenious  though  unsound  meta- 
physics. 

His  eccentric  lordship,  anticipating  Dar- 
win, asserted  in  his  work  on  the  "  Origin  and 
Progress  of  Language  "  that  mankind  were 
originally  endowed  with  tails.  So  convinced 
was  he  of  the  truth  of  his  theory,  that  when- 
ever a  child  was  born  in  his  house,  he  would 
wait  about  the  chamber  door  in  order  to  see 
the  infant  in  its  first  state.  He  had  a  notion 
that  the  midwives  and  doctors  were  in  league 
to  pinch  off  the  infants'  tails  without  the 
knowledge  of  the  parents.  Lord  Kames  once 


366  Old  Edinburgh 

made  this  strange  idea  matter  for  a  joke  on 
Monboddo.  The  latter  on  one  occasion 
wished  to  give  Kames  the  precedence,  who 
declined,  saying,  "By  no  means,  my  lord, 
you  must  walk  first  that  I  may  see  your  tail." 

No.  1 5  was  the  residence  of  the  famous  Dr. 
John  Gregory,  Professor  of  the  Practice  of 
Physic  in  Edinburgh  University,  and  father 
of  the  compounder  of  the  "  Gregory  Mixture," 
a  medicine  known  throughout  the  civilized 
world.  At  the  head  of  the  street,  with  its 
front  windows  looking  out  upon  the  Canon- 
gate,  was  the  mansion  of  Mrs.  Telfer  of 
Scotstoun,  Smollett's  sister,  and  here  the 
novelist  stayed  when  he  last  visited  Edin- 
burgh in  1766. 

Old  Playhouse  Close  will  be  spoken  of  in 
connection  with  the  first  regular  theatre  in 
Edinburgh.  Opposite  Moray  House  is  the 
"  Shoemakers'  Land."  The  Corporation  of 
the  Cordiners,  or  Shoemakers,  was  in  ancient 
times,  excepting  the  goldsmiths,  the  wealth- 
iest of  all  the  crafts.  Over  the  doorway  is  a 
tablet  bearing  angels'  heads,  with  a  border  of 
Tudor  tracery  enclosing  the  date  1677,  and 
the  Shoemakers'  arms.  An  open  book  dis- 


The  Canongate  367 

plays  the  first  verse  of  Psalm  cxxxiii:  — 
"  Behold  how  good  a  thing  it  is,"  etc. 

The  Canongate  Tolbooth,  with  its  project- 
ing clock,  and  appearance  of  sombre  an- 
tiquity, is  a  striking  example  of  the  old 
Scoto-French  style.  This  ancient  structure, 
which  bears  the  date  1591  on  its  tower,  was 
preceded  by  a  still  earlier  one  on  the  same 
site.  With  its  tower  and  spire,  its  corbelled 
turrets,  dark-mouthed  archway,  moulded 
windows  and  sculptured  stones,  it  is  most 
impressive.  Many  illustrious  prisoners  have 
been  confined  within  its  walls.  The  old 
Canongate  Market  Cross  formerly  stood 
opposite  the  Tolbooth. 

The  Tolbooth  formed  the  Courthouse  of  the 
Burgh  of  Canongate,  the  jail  being  behind  it. 
The  large  clock  which  projects  over  the  foot- 
path anciently  rested  on  oaken  beams,  but 
these  decayed  supports  have  been  replaced 
by  iron  brackets.  On  the  wall  between  the 
first  and  second  floors  there  is  an  ornamental 
sun-dial,  and  a  tablet  beneath  the  lower 
window  bears  the  inscription,  ''  S.  L.  B. 
PATRI.E  ET  POSTERIS,  1591,"  while  in 
a  niche  are  the  arms  of  the  Burgh  of  Canon- 


368  Old  Edinburgh 

gate,  a  stag's  head  and  cross.  The  three 
letters  are  supposed  to  mean  "  SENATUS 
LOCUS  BURGHI."  The  words  "  ESTO 
FIDUS  "  are  over  the  inner  doorway.  Be- 
tween the  windows  in  the  large  Council  Hall, 
is  a  panel  surmounted  by  a  pediment  bearing 
a  thistle,  on  which  is  the  legend,  "  J.  R. 
JUSTITIA  ET  PIETAS  VALID^  SUNT 
PRINCIPIS  ARCES."  In  the  panel  appear 
the  burgh  arms,  the  stag's  head  with  a  cross 
between  the  antlers,  in  reference  to  the  mirac- 
ulous adventure  of  David  L,  which  resulted 
in  the  founding  of  the  Abbey.  Wilson  says 
that  the  motto  underneath,  "SIC  ITUR 
AD  ASTRA  "  afforded  an  unfailing  source  of 
mirth  to  the  irreverent  wits  of  the  capital, 
as  being  a  confession  by  the  Canongate 
burghers  "  that  they  sought  the  way  to 
heaven  through  the  burgh  jail." 

Bakehouse  Close,  opposite  the  Canongate 
Tolbooth,  contains  a  fine  old  timber-fronted 
land  facing  the  street,  which  was  the  mansion 
of  the  Marquises  of  Huntly.  Its  picturesque 
row  of  gables  which  rest  on  carved  corbels, 
bear  Latin  mottoes,  one  of  which  is  "  UT 
TU  LINGILE  TtLffi,  SIC  EGO  HEAR. 


THE  "SPEAKING  HOUSE.' 


The  Canongate  369 

AURIUM  DOMINUS  SUM."  Another  says, 
"  HODIE  MIHI,  CRAS  TIBI,  CUR  IGITUR 
CURAS,"  with  the  date  of  erection,  1570; 
and  the  third  bears  the  legend,  "  CON- 
STANTI  PECTORI  RES  MORTALIUM 
UMBRA."  This  house  from  its  inscriptions 
is  often  referred  to  as  "  The  Speaking 
House."  The  first  inscription  is  thus  trans- 
lated: "  As  thou  of  thy  tongue,  so  I  of  my 
ears,  am  lord."  The  second:  "  I  am  the 
happy  man  to-day;  your  turn  may  come 
to-morrow.  Why,  then,  should  you  repine;  " 
while  the  third  ends  a  little  further  on  with 
an  emblem  of  the  Christian  hope  of  the 
resurrection,  ears  of  wheat  springing  from  a 
handful  of  bones. 

Within  this  close  also  is  the  mansion  of  Sir 
Archibald  Acheson  of  Glencairney,  Secretary 
of  State  for  Scotland  in  the  reign  of  Charles 
I.  Over  the  doorway  is  the  Acheson  crest,  a 
cock  standing  on  a  trumpet,  with  the  motto, 
"  VIGILANTIBUS "  and  the  date  1633. 
This  house  stands  in  a  little  court,  three  sides 
of  which  are  adorned  with  dormer  windows. 
Over  two  of  these  are  the  letters  S.  A.  A. 
and  D.  M.  H.,  standing  for  Sir  Archibald 


370  Old  Edinburgh 

Acheson  and  Dame  Margaret  Hamilton,  his 
wife.  In  this  house  Lady  Jane  Grey  is  said 
to  have  slept  for  nine  nights. 

The  old  Canongate  Kirk,  which  dates  from 
1688,  is  a  bare-looking  structure  evincing  no 
architectural  taste.  The  peak  of  the  front 
gable  is  quaintly  surmounted  by  the  burgh 
arms,  the  stag's  head  and  cross.  In  the 
churchyard  is  the  grave  of  Fergusson,  with 
the  stone  over  it  erected  by  Robert  Bums 
which  bears  the  epitaph  written  by  him : 

"  No  sculptured  marble  here,  nor  pompous  lay, 

No  '  storied  urn  nor  animated  bust : ' 
This  simple  stone  directs  pale  Scotia's  way 
To  pour  her  sorrows  o'er  her  poet's  dust" 

Adam  Smith,  the  author  of  the  "  Wealth 
of  Nations,"  lies  here,  as  do  many  other 
famous  men,  including  Dr.  Burney,  who 
wrote  the  "  History  of  Music,"  Dugald 
Stewart,  the  great  metaphysician,  David 
Allan,  the  Scottish  Hogarth,  and  Dr.  Adam 
Fergusson,  author  of  the  "  Roman  Repub- 
lic." Dr.  Adam  Smith  lived  for  many  years 
in  Panmure  Close  near  by,  in  a  house  which 
belonged  to  the  Earls  of  Panmure. 


The  Canongate  371 

At  the  head  of  Reid's  Close,  a  mansion 
with  a  square  projecting  turret  corbelled  out 
over  the  pavement  and  a  solid  gable  which 
presents  the  date  1624,  arrests  the  eye.  This 
was  the  town  house  of  the  Nisbets  of  Dirleton, 
in  East  Lothian,  and  Sir  John  Nisbet  is  said 
to  have  been  an  active  persecutor  of  the 
Covenanters.  One  Robert  Gray,  it  is  said, 
was  brought  before  him  and  questioned  as  to 
the  hiding-places  of  the  fugitives,  but  would 
reveal  nothing.  Sir  John  Nisbet  then  "  art- 
fully and  cruelly  took  a  ring  from  his  finger 
and  sent  it  to  Mrs.  Gray,  with  a  message  that 
her  husband  had  revealed  all  he  knew  of  the 
Whigs.  Deceived  by  this,  she  told  all  she 
knew  of  their  lurking-places  and  thus  many 
were  arrested,  which  so  affected  her  husband 
that  he  sickened  and  died  a  few  days  after." 

Queensberry  House,  a  large  gloomy  build- 
ing surrounded  by  a  court,  and  now  a  Refuge 
for  the  Destitute,  was  the  mansion  of  the 
Dukes  of  Queensberry.  Chambers  tells  of 
a  "  tale  of  mystery  and  horror  "  about  Lord 
Drumlanrig,  the  eldest  son  of  the  second 
Duke,  "  an  idiot  of  the  most  unhappy  sort  - 
rabid  and  gluttonous,"  and  who  early  grew  to 


372  Old  Edinburgh 

a  gigantic  size.  He  was  kept  confined  in  an 
apartment  on  the  ground  floor  of  the  western 
wing,  in  charge  of  a  keeper. 

On  the  day  the  Union  was  passed,  which 
event  his  father  was  mainly  instrumental  in 
bringing  about,  the  madman1  escaped  from 
his  confinement.  The  whole  household,  in- 
cluding his  keeper,  had  flocked  with  all 
Edinburgh  to  Parliament  Close  to  await  the 
issue  of  the  debate.  The  demented  one 
made  his  way  to  the  kitchen  where  he  found 
the  only  occupant  to  be  a  little  boy  seated 
before  the  fire,  turning  a  spit  on  which  the 
meat  was  roasting  for  dinner.  Seizing  the 
little  turnspit,  he  "  killed  him,  took  the  meat 
from  the  fire,  and  spitted  the  body  of  his 
victim,  which  he  half  roasted  and  was  found 
devouring  when  the  duke  (his  father)  with 
his  domestics  returned  from  his  triumph." 

The  house  was  built  in  1681  by  the  cele- 
brated Lord  Halton,  afterwards  Earl  of 
Lauderdale,  who  sold  it  to  William,  the  first 
Duke  of  Queensberry  and  favourite  Scots 
minister  of  Charles  II.  He  exercised  almost 
absolute  power  in  Scotland  during  the  closing 
of  the  reign  of  Charles  II.  Practically  re- 


The  Canongate  373 

building  the  house,  he  made  it  one  of  the 
finest  mansions  in  the  country. 

Charles,  the  third  Duke  was  born  here, 
and  his  Duchess,  Lady  Katherine  Hyde, 
daughter  of  Lord  Clarendon,  was  the  famous 
beauty  of  the  Court  of  George  I.,  whom 
Prior,  Pope,  and  Swift  have  celebrated  in 
verse.  In  her  old  age,  Horace  Walpole  refers 
to  her  as  "  Prior's  Kitty,  ever  fair."  The 
beauty  of  the  Duchess  Katherine  was  only 
equalled  by  her  eccentricity,  which  bordered 
upon  madness.  It  is  said  that  before  her 
marriage  she  had  been  confined  in  a  strait- 
jacket  on  account  of  mental  derangement, 
and  it  is  further  observed  that  "  her  conduct 
in  married  life  was  such  as  to  entitle  her  to 
a  repetition  of  the  same  treatment."  Her 
Grace  when  in  Scotland  always  dressed  in 
the  garb  of  a  peasant  girl,  with  the  object 
of  ridiculing  the  stately  dresses  and  manners 
of  the  Scottish  gentlewomen  who  visited 
her. 

"  When  she  went  out  to  an  evening  enter- 
tainment and  found  a  tea-equipage  paraded 
which  she  thought  too  fine  for  the  rank  of 
the  owner,  she  would  contrive  to  overset 


374  Old  Edinburgh 

the  table  and  break  the  china.  The  forced 
politeness  of  her  hosts  on  such  occasions, 
and  the  assurances  which  they  made  to  her 
Grace  that  no  harm  was  done,  delighted 
her  exceedingly." 

Gay,  the  poet,  and  author  of  the  "  Beg- 
gar's Opera,"  lived  at  Queensberry  House 
for  a  time  as  the  protege  and  private  sec- 
retary of  her  eccentric  ladyship.  This 
mansion  was  also  for  many  years  the  resi- 
dence of  Sir  John  Dalrymple,  Master  and 
Earl  of  Stair,  on  whose  head  mainly  lies  the 
blood  of  the  Macdonalds  of  Glencoe  who 
were  so  cruelly  exterminated  in  1692.  Aytoun 
has  made  "  The  Massacre  of  Glencoe  "  the 
subject  of  one  of  his  most  impassioned  lays. 
After  the  death  of  the  third  Duke,  Charles, 
Queensberry  House  was  dismantled  by  his 
successor,  the  Earl  of  March,  a  noted  sporting 
character  and  debauchee  known  as  "  Old 
Q,"  and  in  1801  it  was  sold  to  the  Govern- 
ment. "Old  Q"  was  the  noted  patron  of 
the  prize-ring  and  formulator  of  the  "  Queens- 
berry  Rules,"  so  well  known  to  all  followers 
of  the  fistic  art. 

Almost    opposite    Queensberry    House   is 


The  Canongate  375 

the  lofty  gable  end  of  the  "  Golfer's  Land," 
a  narrow,  ancient  edifice  with  a  coat  of  arms 
on  the  wall.  This  is  said  to  have  been  built 
by  John  Paterson,  a  Canongate  shoemaker, 
with  a  stake  won  by  himself  and  the  Duke 
of  York,  who  was  his  partner  in  a  golf- 
match  against  two  English  noblemen  of  the 
Duke's  suite.  This  anecdote  has  been  told 
elsewhere  in  connection  with  the  Duke  of 
York.  On  the  wall  are  Paterson 's  arms, 
while  over  the  door  is  a  Latin  quatrain 
written  by  the  celebrated  Dr.  Pitcairn,  and 
the  English  motto  "I  hate  no  person;" 
this  latter  being  an  anagram  on  the  builder's 
name  as  it  was  then  spelled,  lohn  Pater- 
sone.  John,  being  a  Scotsman,  of  course 
had  a  pedigree,  and  proudly  placed  his 
arms  on  the  wall;  —  three  pelicans  feeding 
their  young;  on  a  chief,  three  mullets  sur- 
mounted by  a  helmet;  crest,  a  dexter  hand 
grasping  a  golf  club,  with  the  motto,  dear 
to  all  players  of  the  game,  "  FARRE  AND 
SURE." 

"  Jenny  Ha's  Change- House,"  a  famous 
tavern  so-called  from  being  kept  by  Janet 
Hall,  stood  nearly  opposite  Queensberry 


376  Old  Edinburgh 

House,  and  here  Gay  and  his  brother  wits 
were  wont  to  assemble  to  drink  claret  from 
the  butt,  a  favourite  tipple  in  those  days. 
Behind  Galloway's  Entry  stands  what  is 
left  of  Whitefoorde  House,  which  was  built 
on  the  site  of  Lord  Seton's  mansion,  where 
Darnley  lodged  when  he  first  arrived  in 
Edinburgh.  This  stately  abode  of  nobility 
is  specially  mentioned  in  "  The  Abbot," 
as  "  Lord  Seton's  lodging  in  the  Canongate," 
to  which  went  Roland  Graeme  after  the 
street  fight.  After  the  house  became  ruinous, 
Sir  John  Whitefoorde  of  that  Ilk  erected  a 
fine  town  mansion  on  the  site,  and  part  of 
it  still  remains. 

In  White  Horse  Close,  which  derived  its 
name  from  a  white  palfrey  belonging  to 
Queen  Mary,  stood  the  celebrated  "  White 
Horse  Hostelry."  This  must  not  be  con- 
founded with  Boyd's  White  Horse  Inn, 
where  Dr.  Johnson  lodged,  and  the  site  of 
which  is  commemorated  by  the  tablet  at 
the  corner  of  St.  Mary  Street.  The  "  White 
Horse  Hostelry  "  was  one  of  the  famous  old 
Edinburgh  inns,  and  was  likewise  a  posting- 
housewhere  horses  couldbe  hiredfor  journeys, 


The  Canongate  377 

and  arrangements  made  for  remounts  along 
the  road.  This  was  the  inn  mentioned  in 
"  Waverley,"  so  vividly  described  by  Scott, 
where  the  officers  of  Prince  Charles  Edward's 
army  had  their  headquarters.  It  forms  the 
main  feature  of  a  small  paved  quadrangle 
near  the  foot  of  the  Canongate,  and  its  age 
is  indicated  by  the  date  1623,  cut  over  a 
dormer  window  on  the  south  front. 

A  broad  flight  of  steps  leads  up  to  the 
building,  diverging  to  the  right  and  left 
from  the  first  landing,  and  giving  access  to 
two  oddly  picturesque  porches  which  over- 
hang the  lower  story.  Below,  through  one 
of  these,  a  steep  and  narrow  alley  passes 
which  leads  us  to  the  north  front  of  the 
building,  which  owing  to  the  slope  of  the 
ground  rises  to  more  than  twice  its  height 
on  the  south  side.  This  northern  front  with 
its  double  tier  of  windows  in  the  steep  roof, 
has  a  marked  resemblance  to  the  old  Flemish 
inns  still  seen  in  Belgium.  These  picturesque 
buildings  have  been  restored  by  the  Social 
Union,  and  are  an  interesting  relic  of  the 
old  stage-coaching  days.  From  Abbey  Hill, 
near  by,  was  the  starting  point  of  the  New- 


378  Old  Edinburgh 

castle  coach,  which  performed  the  journey 
in  three  days,  "  if  God  permitted."  The 
"  Water  Gate,"  which  in  olden  days  was  the 
chief  entrance  to  the  Burgh  of  the  Canon- 
gate,  stood  a  few  yards  to  the  eastward  of 
White  Horse  Close. 


END    OF    VOLUME    I. 


Index 


Abbey  Hill,  377. 

"  Abbot,  The,"  124,  171. 

"  Abbot     of     Unreason," 

in. 
Acheson,     Sir    Archibald, 

369- 

Advocates'  Close,  318. 
Advocates'   Library,   312. 
Aethelfrith     of     Bernicia, 

27- 

Agricola,  24. 
Albany,   Alexander,   Duke 

of,  71-76. 
Albany,    John,    Duke    of, 

Regent  of  Scotland,  91. 
Alexander  II.,  of  Scotland, 

Alexander  III.,  of  Scot- 
land, 38. 

Alkwine,  35. 

Allan,  David,  370. 

Alnwick,   37. 

Alnwick  Castle,  32. 

Alva,  Lord  Chief-Justice 
Clerk,  329. 

Anchor  Close,  326. 

Aneurin,   25. 

Angus,  Archibald,  Earl 
of,  76. 

Angus,  Earl  of,  182. 


379 


Anne,   daughter   of   Duke 

of  York,  206,  207. 
Anne  of  Brittany,  86. 
Anne  of  Denmark,  Queen 

of  James  VI.,  177,  179, 

180,  183. 

Assembly   Rooms,  330. 
Assembly  Rooms,  Old,  15, 

269. 

Argyll,  Countess  of,  148. 
Argyll,   Earl  of,  117,  146, 

236,  238. 
Argyll,    John,    Duke    of, 

222,  239. 
Argyll,    Marquis    of,     14, 

198,  204,  236,  237,  262. 
Argyll  Tower,  36. 
Armstrong,     Johnnie,     of 

Gilnockie,  97. 
Arran,  Earl  of,  92,  93,  108, 

no,  in. 

Arthur's  Seat,  20. 
Athole,  Countess  of,  155. 
Athole,  Earl  of,  54. 

Baird,  Sir  David,  259. 
Bakehouse  Close,  368,  369, 

370. 

Balcarres,  Lord,  237. 
Bale-fires,  46,  66,  67. 


380 


Index 


Baliol,  Edward,  42. 
Ballantyne,  James,  364. 
Bane,  Donald,  33,  239. 
Bannatyne,  155. 
Baronets  of  Nova  Scotia, 

257- 

Bassandyne,  Thomas,  341. 
Baxter's  Close,  285,  286. 
Beaton,  Cardinal,  16,  339. 
Beaton  of  Creich,  148. 
Beattie,  William,  327. 
Beaufort,  Jane,   Queen  of 

James  I.,  55,  56. 
Beaumont,  Ermengarde  de, 

Queen    of    William    the 

Lion,  37. 

"Begbie   Tragedy,"  342. 
Bell's  Wynd,  331. 
Ben  Ledi,  138. 
Ben  Lomond,  138. 
Ben  Voirlich,  138. 
Big  Jack's  Close,  361. 
Bishop's  Close,  336,  337. 
Black,  Dr.  Joseph,  327. 
Black  Rood,  32. 
"  Black  Saturday,"  108. 
"  Black      Turnpike,      168, 

321. 

Blackadder,  Captain  Will- 
iam,  170. 
Blackfriars        Monastery. 

"7,  338. 
Blackfriars         Monastery, 

Perth,  53. 

Blackfriars  Street,  338. 
Blackfriars  Wynd,  16,  164, 

338. 

Blair,  Dr.  Hugh,  277,  327. 
Blair's  Close,  258. 
Blantyre,  42. 
"  Blue  Blanket,"  66,  169. 


Boece,  Hector,  35. 
Border  Raiders,  96,  97. 
Boroughmuir,  43,  50,  175, 

202. 

Borthwick  Castle,  167. 
Borthwick,  Robert,  103. 
Borthwick's  Close,  330. 
Boswell,   James,  277,   278, 

279,  330. 

Boswell's  Court,  260. 
Bothwell,    Adam,    Bishop 

of  Orkney,  167,  318. 
Bothwell  Castle,  158. 
Bothwell,  Earls  of,  260. 
Bothwell,   Francis   Stuart, 

Earl  of,  339. 
Bothwell,  James  Hepburn, 

Earl    of,    133,    154,    159, 

160,    161,   164,    165,   167, 

170. 

Bothwell,  Lady  Anne,  318. 
Braid  Hills,  138. 
Braxfield,  Lord,  309,  310. 
Bristo  Port,  21 1. 
Britons,  26. 
Brodie,    Deacon    William, 

287. 

Brodie's  Close,  287. 
Bruce,    Robert,    King    of 

Scotland,  39,   42,    132. 
Buchanan,  George,  161. 
Bullock,  William,  44. 
Burke  and  Hare  murders, 

313. 

Burnet's  Close,  330,  331. 
Burney,  Dr.,  370. 
Burns,    Robert,    285,    286, 

287,  327,  364,  370. 
Butter  Tron,  135,  179,  270, 

271. 
Byer's  Close,  318. 


Index 


381 


"  Caddies,"  325. 

Calton  Hill,  174. 

Canongate,  10,  56,  69,  164, 
182,  199,  201,  350-378. 

Canongate  Kirk,  144,  166, 
370. 

Carberry  Hill,  133,  167. 

Carey,  Sir  Robert,  184. 

Carham,  Battle  of,  30. 

Caroline,  Queen-Consort 
of  England,  220,  222. 

Carrubber's  Close,  336. 

"  Casket  Letters,"  159. 

Cassillis,  Earls  of,  262. 

Castle,  8,  25,  28,  39,  44, 
61,  62,  71,  76,  78,  119, 
134,  135,  137,  138,  173, 
174,  175,  186,  198,  199, 

2OO,    210,    233. 

Argyll  Battery,  239. 
Argyll  Tower,  236,  243. 
Crown  Room,   156,  243, 

247,  248. 

Dogs'  Cemetery,  253. 
Esplanade,  233. 
Half-moon  Battery,  175, 

243. 

King's  Bastion,  138,  240. 
Mons     Meg,    240,    241, 

242. 

Mylne's  Battery,  239. 
Old     Parliament     Hall 

252,  253. 
Outer  Port,  235. 
Palace  Yard,  243. 
Portcullis  Gate,  236. 
Royal   Apartments,    138, 

139,  140,  156,  249,  250. 
St.    Margaret's    Chapel, 

240,  242. 
"Sally-port,"  239. 


Wellhouse   Tower,   254, 

255. 

Castle  Hill,  135,  256-268. 

Cecil,  1 20. 

Chalmer's  Close,  337. 

Chambers,  Dr.  William, 
302. 

Chambers,  W.  &  R.,  319. 

Charles  I.,  of  England, 
191,  192,  193,  194,  204. 

Charles  II.,  of  England, 
198,  199,  201,  203,  204, 
206,  208. 

Chepman,  Walter,  297,  338. 

Chiesly  of  Dairy,  288,  289. 

"  Clam  Shell  Turnpike," 
152,  331- 

Clark,  Alexander,  Pro- 
vost, 192. 

Claude  of  Lorraine,  133. 

Claverhouse,  John  Gra- 
ham of,  Viscount  Dun- 
dee, 205,  210,  237,  239. 

"  Cleanse  the  Causey,"  16, 
92,  338. 

Clubs,  Cape,  325,  326. 
Crochallan,  326. 
Mirror,  317. 

Cochbewis,  Sir  John,  78. 

Cockburn,  Lord,  328. 

Cockburn  Street,  328. 

Colquhoun,  Sir  James,  of 
Luss,  311. 

Congregation,  Lords  of 
the,  116,  117,  119. 

Constable,  Archibald,  325, 

337- 

Conventicles,  204,  205. 
Cope,  Sir  John,  223,  227, 

229. 
Coull's  Close,  356,  357. 


382 


Index 


Courts  of  Session,  104. 

Covenant  Close,  330. 

Covenant,   National,   197. 

Covenanters,  13,  199,  209. 

Covent  Garden,  189. 

Cowgate,  17,  89,  120,  121. 

Cowgate   Port,  356. 

Craig,  Lord,  327. 

Craig's  Close,  325. 

Craigmillar  Castle,  71,  158. 

Cranston  Street,  353. 

Crawford,  Earl  of,  182. 

Creech,  William,  317. 

Crichton,  George,  Bishop 
of  Dunkeld,  331. 

Crichton,  Lord  Chancel- 
lor, 57-63. 

Crichtons,  in. 

Cromwell,  18,  23,  198,  199, 
200,  201,  202,  204. 

Crosbie,  Andrew,  ("Coun- 
sellor Pleydell"),  318. 

Cross,  City,  13,  54,  81,  87, 
113,  124,  136,  170,  175, 
176,  179,  182,  184,  198, 
202,  208,  228,  322,  323, 
324,  325. 

"Crown  o'  the  Causey," 
1 02,  127. 

Culloden,  Battle  of,  228. 

Cumberland,  Duke  of,  228. 

Curry,  Walter,  44. 


Dalkeith  Castle,  80,  81. 
Dalrymple,  John,  Earl  of 

Stair,  374. 
Dalziel,        General        Sir 

Thomas,  205,  361,  362. 
Darien,    Expedition,     211, 

212. 


Darien  House,  211. 

Darnley,  Henry,  King- 
Consort  of  Scotland,  19, 
132,  133,  143,  144,  146, 
147,  148,  149,  I5i,  152, 
153,  154,  155,  156-166, 
169,  170. 

Darnley,  murder  of,  157- 
166. 

Dauphin  of  France,  109, 
132. 

David  I.,  of  Scotland,  34, 
45,  65. 

David  II.,  of  Scotland,  42, 
45,  236. 

"  David's  Tower,"  45. 

Defoe,  Daniel,  329. 

Dhu  Craig,  174. 

Dinas   Eiddyn,  25. 

Donaldson,  James,  231. 

Donaldson's   Close,   229. 

Douglas,  Archibald,  Earl 
of  Angus,  91,  92. 

Douglas,  Black,  44. 

Douglas,  Earl  of,  56,  59, 
60. 

Douglas,  Gawain,  297. 

Douglas,  George,  19,  149. 

Douglas,  Lady   Catherine, 

53- 
Douglas,  Lady  Jane,  234, 

337. 
Douglas,    Lord     William, 

60,  61,  62,  63,  253. 
Douglas,   Sir  William  de, 

44- 
Douglases,   12,  59,  ox,  62, 

9i,  92,  93,  94,  95,  Q6,  IIO> 

33?. 
"  Drinking     Horn,     The," 

26. 


Index 


383 


Drummond,    William,    of 

Hawthornden,  191. 
Drumsheugh,    Forest    of, 

20. 
Drury,  Sir  William,  173, 

174,288. 

Duddingston,  224. 
Dunbar,   167. 
Dunbar,  Battle  of,   199. 
Dunbar,  William,  20,  85. 
Dunbar's  Close,  18,  307. 
Dunfermline,  31. 
Dunfermline  Abbey,  33. 
Durham,  Bishop  of,  81. 
"  Dyvours,"  or  bankrupts, 

324. 

Ebranke,  28. 
Edgar  Atheling,  32. 
Edward    I.,    of    England, 

23- 
Edward  II.,  of  England, 

39- 
Edward  III.,  of  England, 

42. 
Edward  IV.,  of  England, 

75. 
Edward  VI.,  of  England, 

108,  109. 

Edward  the  Confessor,  30. 
Edward,    Nicol,    Provost, 

334- 

Edwin  of  Deira,  27. 

Eglinton,  Countess  of,  327, 
361. 

Elcho,  Lord,  224, 

Elibank,  Lord,  258. 

Elizabeth,  Queen  of  Eng- 
land, 120,  123,  160,  171, 
173,  184. 

Erskine,  Arthur,  148. 


Erskine,  Hon.  Henry,  279, 

3io,  311. 
Erskine  of  Dun,  145. 

Falconer,  William,  342. 
Falkland  Palace,  95. 
Fergusson,    Prof.    Adam, 

327,  370. 
Fergusson,     Robert,     326, 

370. 

Fifeshire,  138. 
Fires,  108,  200,  306,  330. 
Fixth  of  Forth   137. 
Fleshmarket     Close,     327, 

328. 
Flodden,  Battle  of,  13,  86, 

87,  88. 

Flodden  Wall,  64,  69. 
Forbes,  Master  of,  233. 
Fotheringay   Castle,   133. 
Fountain  Close,  341. 
"  Four   Tables,"    107. 
Francis,    Grand    Prior   of 

Malta,  133. 
Francis,  William,  39. 
Fraser,       Simon,       Lord 

Lpvat,  329,  335. 
Froissart,  49. 

Gadeni,  24. 

Galloway's   Entry,  376. 
Gay,  the  poet,  317,  374- 
Geddes,  Jenny,  13,  195,  196. 
General     Assembly     Hall, 

262. 
George   III.,   of   England, 

231. 
George    IV.,   of    England, 

271. 

George  IV.  Bridge,  288. 
Glammis,  Master  of,  182. 


384 


Index 


Glasgow,    Archbishop    of, 

84. 
Glencairn,    Earl    of,    146, 

182. 
Gloucester,   Duke   of,   75, 

76. 

"  Golfer's  Land,"  208,  375. 
Gordon,  Duke  of,  209,  210, 

239,  259. 
Gordon,  Jane,  Duchess  of, 

34i- 
Gordon,      Sir     John,     of 

Haddo,  205,  301. 
Gourlay,  Robert,  288. 
Graham,  Sir  Robert,  53. 
Grange,  Lady,  334,  335. 
Grassmarket,    15,   78,    135, 

206. 

Gray,  Sir  Andrew,  41. 
Gray,  Sir  William,  280. 
Gregory,  Dr.  John,  366. 
Greyfriars,    21,    196,    197, 

200. 
Greyfriars  Monastery,  51, 

117. 

Grierson  of  Lagg,  205. 
Guard-House,  City,  332. 
Guest,   General,   226. 
Guise  Palace,  112,  263,  264. 
Guises,  119. 

Guy,  Count  of  Namur,  43. 
"  Guy    Mannering,"   319. 

"  Haddo's  Hole,"  205,  301. 
Haggis  Knowe,  224. 
Hailes,  Lord,  34,  327. 
Haldane,  Colonel,  198. 
Halkerston's    Wynd,    335, 

336. 
Hamilton,    Duke   of,    198, 

210,  213. 


Hamilton,  Sir  Patrick,  79. 
Hamiltons,  12,  91,  92,  93, 

1 10. 

Hanna,  Dean,  195. 
Hart,  Andro,  325. 
Hawley,  General,  229. 
Hay,  John,  185. 
"  Heart     of     Midlothian," 

222,  313,  314. 
"  Heave  awa'  lads  "  house, 

335- 

Henry  VIII.,  of  England, 
oo,  107,  108,  132. 

Hepburn,  James,  Earl  of 
Bothwell,  133,  154,  159, 
160,  161,  164,  165,  167, 
170. 

Her  jot,  George,  ("Jin- 
gling Geordie"),  183, 
315,  316,  329. 

Heriot's  Hospital,  174. 

Hertford,  108. 

High  Street,  10,  12,  69,  92, 
zoo,  102,  103,  112,  115, 
124,  129,  137,  188,  199, 

318-349. 

Holyrood,  12,  18,  20,  35, 
56,  64,  69,  83,  98,  106, 
133,  134,  142,  147,  162, 
169,  182,  184,  185,  194, 
200,  203,  206,  208,  209, 
224,  226,  228,  235. 

Home,  David,  of  Wedder- 
burn,  18. 

Home,  John,  327. 

Home,  Lord,  152,  331. 

Hume  Castle,  67. 

Hume,  David,  271,  327, 
361. 

Huntly,  Earl  of,  76,  109. 

Hyndford's  Close,  340,  341. 


Index 


385 


InchafCray,  Abbot  of,  42. 
Inchkeith,    137. 

Jack's  Land,  361. 

James  I.,  of  Scotland,  51, 

52,  53,  55- 
James  II.,  of  Scotland,  56, 

62,  63,  65,  66. 
James    III.,    of    Scotland, 

68,  71,  75,  76,  77- 
James    IV.,    of    Scotland, 

20,  77,  78,  80,  81,  82,  83, 

84,  85,  86,  88,  89. 
James  V.,  of  Scotland,  90, 

93,  94,  95,  96,  97,  98,  99, 

100,  104,  106,  no,  131. 
James    VI.,    of    Scotland, 

and  I.  of   England,  36, 

132,   154,   157,    176,    177, 

178,    179,    180,    181,    182, 

183,   184,   185,   186,   189, 

190. 
James   VII.,   of   Scotland, 

IS,  209,  210. 

James's  Court,  275-279. 
Jamesone,  George,  192. 
Jeffrey  Street,  354. 
Jenny  Ha's  Change-House, 

375,  376. 

"Jingling  Geordie,"  183. 
Johnson,  Dr.  Samuel,  277, 

278,  279. 
Johnston,    Sir    Archibald, 

Lord  Warriston,  319. 
Johnston  Terrace,  262. 

Kames,  Lord,  325,  327,  366. 
Kay,  John,  307. 
Ker  of  Fawdonside,  149. 
Kerrs  of  Lothian,  in. 


Killiecrankie,     Battle     of, 

237- 

Killigrew,  167. 
"King's   Quhair,"   55. 
"King's  Stables,"  52. 
"  Kirk-of-Field,"    17,    161. 
Kirkaldy,  Sir  William,  of 

Grange,    173,    174,    175, 

236,  288,  301. 
Knox,  John,   13,  112,  113, 

116,   117,   118,    136,    141, 

145,   172,    174,   298,   299, 

306. 
Knox,     John,     house     of, 

343-349- 
Krames,  314. 

Lady    Stair's    Close,    279, 

280,   281,   282,  283,   284, 

285. 
"Laird  of  Cockpen,"  261, 

262. 

Lancaster,  Duke  of,  48. 
"Lang  Gait,"  134. 
Langside,    Battle    of,    133, 

171. 

Laud,  Archbishop,  194. 
Lauderdale,  Duke  of,  205, 

206,  208. 
"Lavs   Deo"   house,    265, 

266,  267. 
Lawlessness  in  early  times, 

130,  131- 

Lawnmarket,  10,  270. 
Lawson,  Richard,  of  High- 

riggs,  87,  88. 

"Lay    of    the    Last    Min- 
strel," 67. 
Leith,  74,  109,  118,  120,  133, 

199,  212. 
Leith  Links,  207. 


386 


Index 


Leith  Wynd,  353. 
Lennox,  Earl  of,  76,  143, 

172. 

Leslie,  Sir  Alexander,  197. 
Libberton's     Wynd,     312, 

313. 

Limoisne,  Richard  de,  44. 
Lindsay,  Dr.,  195. 
Lindsay,  Earl  of,  147. 
Lindsay,  Lady  Sophia,  of 

Balcarres,  237. 
Lindsay,     Lord,     of     the 

Byres,  171. 

Linlithgow  Palace,  131. 
Livingstone,     Regent,     57, 

58,  59,  60,  6l,  63. 
Livingstones,  in. 
Lochleven  Castle,  133,  169, 

170,  171,  172. 

Lockhart,  Sir  George,  288. 
Luckenbooths,  314,  315. 
Lyndsay,    Sir   David,   98, 

105,  106. 


MacMorran,   Bailie   John, 

273,  274,  275. 
Macaulay,  238. 
"  Macbeth,"  30. 
Mackenzie,  Henry,  327. 
Mackenzie,     Sir     George, 

338. 
Magdalene,      Queen      of 

James  V.,  97,  106. 
Maid  of  Norway,  38. 
"Maiden,"  The,  14,  175, 

204. 
Maitland    of    Lethington, 

160,  161. 
Malcolm  II.,  of  Scotland, 

29,  30. 


Malcolm  III.   (Canmore), 

of  Scotland,  30,  65. 
Malcolm  IV.,  of  Scotland, 

37- 

Mar,  Earl  of,  71,  72,  182. 

March,  Earl  of,  43. 

Margaret  of  Denmark, 
Queen  of  James  III.,  68. 

Margaret,  Queen  of  Mal- 
colm Canmore,  30,  31, 
32.  33,  34,  65,  239. 

Margaret  Tudor,  Queen 
of  James  IV.,  20,  80,  81, 
82,  83,  84,  88,  90. 

Marjory,  daughter  of  Rob- 
ert Bruce,  132. 

Markets,  69,  70,  71,  329. 

Mary  King's  Close,  320, 
321. 

Mary  of  Gueldres,  Queen 
of  James  II.,  63,  64,  337, 

354,  355- 
Mary  of  Guise,  Queen  of 

James  V.,  99,   109,  in, 

112,  114-120,  139. 
Mary  of  Modena,  Duchess 

of  York,  206. 
Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  16, 

109,  122,  131-173,  236. 
Maxwell,  Lady,  of  Mon- 

reith,  341. 
May,  Isle  of,  138. 
Medical  School,  218. 
Melvil,  Sir  James,  151. 
Melville,  Sir  Robert,  171. 
Merlin,  paver  of  the  High 

Street,  102. 

Merlin's  Wynd,  332,  333. 
Mint,  Scottish,  340,  341. 
Modena,  Duke  of,  206. 
"  Monastery,"  Scott's,  338. 


Index 


387 


Monboddo,  Lord,  327,  364, 

365,  366. 

Monk,  General,  18,  201. 
Mons  Meg,  138,  240-242. 
Montrose,  Earl  of,  182. 
Montrose,  Marquis  of,  198, 

202,  203,  204. 
Moray,  Bishop  of,  83. 
Moray,  Earl  of,  43. 
Moray    House,    198,    200, 

214,  362-364. 
Morocco    Land,    357,   358, 

359,  36o,  361. 
Morton,   Earl   of,   Regent 

of   Scotland,   14,  16,  80, 

146,    147,    150,    168,    173, 

174,  175,  204,  289. 
Municipal   Chambers,   321, 

322. 
Museum     of     Antiquities, 

Municipal         Buildings, 

322. 
"  My      Aunt      Margaret's 

Mirror,"  281-283. 
Mylne  Square,  328. 
Mylne's  Court,  267,  268. 
Myndoc  Eiddyn,  26. 


Nether-Bow   Port,  69,  70, 

82,    120,    137,    164,    180, 

192,  222,  223,  350. 
Nicoll's  Diary,  199,  201. 
Niddry  Street,  334. 
Niddry's  Wynd,  334,  335- 
Nisbet,  Sir  John,  371. 
Normans,  32. 
Norrie,    James,    259,    272, 

356. 
North,  or  Nor'  Loch,   12, 

64,  113,  137,  174,  280. 


Northumbrians,  29. 
Nottingham  Castle,  45. 

Ochils,  138. 

Old  Assembly  Close,  330. 

Old  Fishmarket  Close,  329. 

Old  Playhouse  Close,  366. 

"  Old  Q,"  374- 

Old    Stamp    Office    Close, 

327. 

Ottadeni,  24. 
Owen,   King  of   Cumbria, 

29. 

Panmure  Close,  370. 
Parliament     House,     199, 

213,   214,   215,   216,  218, 

306,  307,  308,  309. 
Parliament      Square,      or 

Close,  305,  306,  307. 
Paterson,  John,  207,  208. 
Paton,     "  Honest     John," 

284,  285. 

Paul's  Work,  353. 
Pentlands,  138,  205. 
Perth,  Duke  of,  224. 
Perth,  Earl  of,  209. 
Philiphaugh,      Battle     of, 

198. 

Pillory,  333. 
Pinkie,  Battle  of,  108. 
Porteous,     Captain    John, 

220,  221,  222. 
Porteous     Mob,     15,    219, 

22O,    221,    222. 

"Ports,"  or  City  Gates, 
103,  104. 

"  President's  Stairs,"  306. 

Preston,  Sir  Simon,  168. 

Preston,  William,  of  Gor- 
ton, 295. 


388 


Index 


Prestonpans,  Battle  of, 
227. 

Primrose,  James,  Vis- 
count, 280. 

Princes  Street,  8,  II,  134. 

Princes     Street     Gardens, 

254- 
"  Protestant  Lords,"  146. 

Queen  Mary's  Bath,  150. 
"  Queen  Mary's  Lookout," 

Stirling  Castle,  138. 
"Queen  of  May,"  in. 
"  Queen's  Ferry,"  31. 
"  Queen's     Maries,"     133, 

139,  260. 
Queensberry,   Duchess   of, 

373,  374- 
Queensberry,      Duke      of, 

213,  214,  215,  372. 
Queensberry    House,    371, 

372,  373,  374- 

Raeburn,  Sir  Henry,  326. 
Ramsay,    Allan,    258,   316, 

317,  336. 
Ramsay,         Allan,         the 

younger,  356. 
Ramsay  Lane,  261. 
Randolph,    Thomas,    Earl 

of  Moray,  39. 
Rebellion  of  1745,  223-232. 
Reformation,  142. 
Reformers,    113,   116,   117, 

119,  142. 
Regalia  of  Scotland,  243- 

248. 

Reid's  Close,  371. 
Rene,    Marquis    d'Elboeuf, 

133- 
Reres,  Lady,  155. 


Restalrig,  Dean  of,  144. 

Restoration,  201,  202. 

Richmond,  John,  of 
Mauchline,  286. 

Riddle's  Close,  271,  272, 
273,  274,  275. 

"Riding  of  the  Parlia- 
ment," 215-218. 

Rizzio,  David,  19,  132,  147, 
149,  166. 

Robert  II.,  of  Scotland, 
48,  132. 

Robertson,  Lord  "  Peter," 
308. 

Robertson,   Principal,  327. 

"Robin  Hpod,"  in. 

Romans,  24. 

"  Rose  and  Thistle,"  Dun- 
bar's  Close,  18. 

Rosebery,  Lord,  280. 

Rothes,  Earl  of,  146. 

Roxburgh  Close,  319. 

Royal  Exchange,  168,  321. 

Rullion  Green,  Battle  of, 
205. 

Runciman,  Alexander,  326. 

Runic  Stone,  254. 

Rutherford,     Dr.     Daniel, 

34i. 

Ruthven,  Lord,  19,  147, 
148,  171,  269. 

St    Andrews,    Archbishop 

of,  83,  106. 
St.    Andrews,   Bishop   of, 

194. 
St  Clair,  William,  Earl  of 

Orkney,  16,  339. 
St.  Giles,   13,  49,   59,   117, 

172,    184,    195,   201,  203, 

205,  290-306,  314. 


Index 


389 


St  Giles,  Churchyard,  201, 

306. 
St.  Giles,  Festival  of,  113, 

114,  115. 
St  John  Street,  361,  364, 

365,  366. 

St.  John's  Cross,  115,  361. 
St.  Leonards,  121. 
St.  Margaret's  Chapel,  31, 

138. 

St  Margaret's  Loch,  121. 
St  Mary  Street,  355. 
St.  Mary's  Wynd,  43,  223, 

355,  356. 

Salisbury  Crags,  20. 
Sanitary      Conditions      in 

early  times,  186-189. 
Sark,  Battle  of,  64. 
Sauchieburn,  Battle  of,  77. 
Saxons,  26. 
Scone,  37. 

"  Scots  Estates,"  214,  215. 
"  Scots  Postman,"  331. 
"  Scotsman  "         buildings, 

328. 
Scott,  Sir  Walter,  16,  124, 

231,  232,  240,  242,  247, 

248,  281,  286,  308,   312, 

313,  3H,  322,  341,  352. 
Scotts  of  Buccleugh,  in. 
Seafield,  Earl  of,  215. 
Sebastian,  162,  170. 
Sempill,  Barons,  260. 
Sempill's  Close,  260. 
Shaw,  Richard,  43. 
Shoemakers'     Land,     366, 

367. 

Signet  Library,  312. 
Sinclair,    Sir   William,   of 

May,  274. 
Slateford,  223. 


Smellie,  William,  326. 

Smith,  Adam,  370. 

Smith,  Sir  John,  of  Grot- 
ham,  272. 

Smollett,  Tobias,  317,  366. 

Solway  Moss,  Battle  of, 
1 06,  107. 

Somerset,  Duke  of,  108. 

South  Bridge,  332. 

South  Gray's,  or  Mint 
Close,  340. 

"  Speaking    House,"    368, 

369- 
Stair,  Elizabeth,  Dowager 

Countess    of,   279-284. 
Stair,  Lord,  283,  284. 
Stanfield,  Sir  James,  343. 
Stanley,  Sir  William,  155. 
Statues,  Buccleugh,  Duke 

of,  307. 

Charles  II.,  306. 

John  Knox,  261,  306. 

Prince  Charles  Edward, 
321- 

Scott,    12. 

Steele,  Sir  Richard,  284. 
Stevenlaw's      Close,     331, 

332- 

Stewart,   Dugald,   370. 
Stewart,     Lord     Provost, 

229,  230. 
Stewart,      Margaret,      of 

Ochiltree,  13,  347. 
Stewart,     Sir    James,    of 

Goodtrees,  318. 
Stewart,    Sir  William,   of 

Monkton,  339. 
"Stinking  Stile,"  315. 
Stirling  Castle,  95. 
Stirling,  Earl  of,  256,  257. 
Strichen's  Close,  337,  338. 


390 


Index 


Stuart,  James,  Earl  of 
Moray,  133,  146,  172. 

Stuart,  Lord  Robert,  148. 

Stuart,  Prince  Charles  Ed- 
ward, the  "  Young  Chev- 
alier," 223-232,  324. 

Sumptuary  Laws,  51,  105. 

Surrey,  Earl  of,  81,  84. 

Tarbat,  Sir  James,  142. 
Taverns,  Clerihugh's,  317, 

319. 

Dawney  Douglas's,  326. 

Fortune's,  317,  327. 

"  Isle    of    Man    Arms," 
325- 

Jenny     Ha's      Change- 
House,  375. 

"Rose  and  Thistle,"  18. 

Stewart's  Oyster  House, 

317. 

White    Horse   Hostelry, 
37.6. 

White   Horse   Inn,   355, 

356. 

Templar  Lands,  269. 
"Thrissill  and  the  Rois," 

85- 
Tolbooth,    117,    142,    170, 

176,  198.  202,  205. 
Tolbooth,  Canongate,  367, 

368. 

Town  Guard,  332. 
Trinity     College     Church, 

337,  354,  355- 
Tron  Kirk,  333. 
"Tulzies,"  or  street  fights, 

127,  128,  129. 
Turgot,   Bishop,  32,   33. 
Tweed,  River,  66. 
Tweeddale  Court,  342. 


"Union  Cellar,"  329. 

Union  with  England,  213, 
214,  215,  218,  219,  221. 

United  Free  Church,  Col- 
lege and  Assembly  Hall, 
112,  261,  263. 

University,  218. 

University  Hall,  258. 

Wales,  Prince  of,  209. 
Walls,  City,  89,  90. 
Walter  the  Steward,  132. 
Warriston  Close,  319. 
Water  Gate,  199,  378. 
Weigh-House  (see  Butter 

Tron). 

Weir,  Major,  14,  269,  270. 
West   Bow,    14,    135,    176, 

268. 
West   Port,   99,    134,    176, 

185,  191. 

White  Horse  Close,  376. 
Whitefoorde  House,  376. 
Wilkie,   Sir  David,  22. 
William   and   Mary,   King 

and  Queen  of  Scotland, 

209,  210. 
William,  Prince  of  Orange, 

209. 
William  the  Lion,  King  of 

Scotland,  37. 
William  III.,  of  England, 

212. 

Wilton,  Sir  John,  39,  42. 
Windsor  Castle,  55. 
World's    End    Close,   342, 

343,  350- 
Writers'  Court,  319. 

Yester,  Lady,  342. 
York,  Archbishop  of,  81, 84 
York,  Duke  of,  206,  207, 
208,  375- 


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